Recommendations for the Loudoun County Public School Staff
and the School Board
These are recommendations from the Parent Teachers Organization
(PTO) General Assembly meeting with representation from the
Waterford Citizens' Association (WCA) and the Waterford
Foundation.
re: the line item on page 125 of the November
8, 2005 CIP
FY 2007-2012
Specific actions to be taken:
- Request that this item be removed from the CIP
- Begin a community based planning process that starts with an
alternative analysis to see what makes sense for the site and the
community it serves. Included on the planning team would
be representatives from the LCPS staff, PTO, Waterford Citizens
Association and the Waterford Foundation.
Justification for these actions:
1. Site limitation:
- The 10.6-acre site is limited and cannot support 875 children
in terms of parking, recreation fields and playground facilities.*
- Located within an existing historic village with numerous restrictions.
Recommend
a site survey and feasibility study to determine what
is a good number of students
2. Road access/Increased Traffic:
- No other school this size is supported
by (1) a 2-lane road and (2) gravel and dirt roads that are often
less than one lane wide.
Recommend traffic studies be conducted to determine
the impact
of the increased bus traffic and “kiss and go” traffic on the village
and surrounding area.
3. Historic Designation
- Waterford is a National Historic Landmark – the highest designation
by the Secretary of the Interior within the country. Among the
other National Historic Landmarks are: Independence Hall and
Monticello.
- Waterford is one of only three National Historic Landmarks
in the country to encompass an entire village.
- Waterford is the only village to also
include the surrounding 1,400 acres of farmland in the National
Historic Landmark designation. In other words, Waterford
is one of a kind in the country.
Recommend any modifications to the school be studied
and considered
under Article 6-1800 of the Loudoun County Zoning Ordinance
that provides for the protection of historically and culturally significant
areas designated Historic Site/Historic and Cultural Conservation/Historic
Roadway Overlay Zoning Districts.
This
means that in addition to land use regulations that apply in a
particular area, landowners must comply with architectural guidelines
that protect the historic character of the Historical and Cultural
Conservation District. A requirement of Article
6-1900 is the Certificate of Appropriateness. Before any alterations
to existing structures or construction of new structures or buildings
(including fences but excluding farm fences and farm buildings)
and signs can proceed, plans must be presented to and reviewed
by the Loudoun County Historic District Review Committee (HDRC).
Source: http://www.loudoun.gov/planning/historic.htm
4. Water:
- Access to water is a well-known issue and concern in Waterford. If
we increase the amount of students, what will be the impact to
the availability of well water for the existing citizens of Waterford?
Recommend water studies be conducted to determine the impact of the water usage of 875 students.
In short, we are asking the LCPS staff and board stand by the Loudoun
County motto: I Byde my Time and conduct
a comprehensive study of the site—involving the community—to find
a solution to the overcrowding of WES that makes sense. We
ask that the LCPS staff takes the next year to conduct the necessary
surveys and engage the community so that any additions to the CIP
involving Waterford Elementary School truly reflect the needs and
desires of the community the school serves.
This is not a deviation from the goals of the core committee that
have been outlined and agreed upon: to explore the feasibility of
adding a reasonable amount of students to the school to
keep those currently within our boundaries in our school.
_______________________________________
* Examples of other Loudoun Conty elementary schools:
Mountain View ES, capacity of 744 students on 66.77 acres; Round Hill
ES, capacity of 680 students on 20 acres; and ES4, capacity of 875
students will share 79 acres with Harmony Intermediate
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