News
Excerpts from around the Nation and the Commonwealth
American City & County Magazine, September 2006
The Loudoun County government's wellness programs are
featured in an article headlined "Helping Employees Get Fit"
in the September 2006 edition of American City & County
magazine. Loudoun County Benefits Administrator Nelia
Larson-Mann tells the magazine that more than 1,000 Loudoun
County government employees have participated in the first
year of the wellness programs, which were developed in
conjunction with CIGNA, the county's health insurance
provider.
Larson-Mann says the county is committed to effectively
managing health care costs and plans to expand the wellness
program. She says it makes good sense to give employees
tools to help prevent disease and chronic illness by
promoting wellness in the workplace.
American City Business Journals, May 2004
The quality of life in Loudoun County is among the best
in the country, according to a national survey conducted by
American City Business Journals, Inc. The survey ranked
Loudoun in fifth place among more than 3,100 counties and
independent cities in the United States.
Los Alamos County, N. M., topped the list, followed by
Olmsted County, Minn., and the Colorado counties of Pitkin
and Douglas. Loudoun was one of eight Virginia counties to
make the national top 50.
The study used 20 statistical indicators to rate living
conditions, including affluence, racial diversity, short
commuting times and the availability of affordable housing.
Money
Magazine, December 2003
Money Magazine has ranked the Sugarland Run area of
Loudoun County as one of the most desirable places to live in
the country. The area tops the category of places in the
eastern United States with a population under 100,000.
The magazine describes the Sugarland Run area as a place
that combines history, horses, and high tech, saying:
"It's near Civil War battlefields, horse country, the
Potomac River and the Beltway. George Washington actually
slept nearby."
The article goes on to say, "Newcomers find good
schools and affordable housing options…all within half an
hour of Dulles airport and …Washington. A rich nexus of
employers in the area, many of them defense contractors and
tech outfits, attracts workers flocking in from Atlanta, San
Antonio, San Francisco and elsewhere."
Loudoun
Family Magazine, December 2003
In the December issue of the magazine, the Loudoun County
Animal Shelter is featured as a "Family Fun
Destination." The article states, "The Loudoun
County Animal Shelter is a county-run animal control
center nestled on a 13-acre parcel in Waterford, Virginia. A
13,000 square-foot facility with 45 kennels, the shelter is
equipped to handle just about any animal that comes its way.
Last year alone, over 3,000 animals -- including everything
from dogs and cats to deer and goats -- passed through the
shelter's doors.
Loudoun Magazine, December 2003
The December 2003 issue of Loudoun Magazine
features an article on the new Ashburn Library, headlined
"Ashburn Library: Reaching Out to Enrich the
Community." Helene Hollander Lepkowski writes of the
children's wing, "With its brick red and royal blue
colors, animal tracks at the ends of the bookshelves and
tables and chairs that even adults find comfortable, this is a
room that has brought delight -- and lots of books -- to
thousands of parents and children since the library first
opened to an enthusiastic community last summer."
Lepkowski also writes of the diversity of programs offered
by the library, including an appearance by poet Nikki
Giovanni; "On a fall afternoon a long line forms in the
large meeting room as adults of all ages and quite a few
teens, many from Loudoun's African-American community, wait
for acclaimed poet Nikki Giovanni to sign their copy of her
latest book of poems."
Giovanni told the magazine, "I've come to a lot of the
libraries here, and I think it's important, first of all, to
reach out. And I think that these kind of events are what
libraries should be doing. I think that the modern library has
changed. There was a time when libraries just were to be quiet
and study, but people are reaching out, and I think that's so
important."
Computerworld, January 6, 2003
Eugene D. Troxell, Loudoun County’s Director of
Information Technology, has been recognized by IDG's Computerworld,
the weekly newspaper for information technology (IT) leaders,
as one of the business world’s Premier 100 IT Leaders. The
award honors individuals who have creatively applied
technology to execute their organization's business strategy.
Troxell was selected from hundreds of nominees based on
those leaders who most closely matched Computerworld’s
Leadership Index, a set of characteristics that describes
business and technology people who guide the effective use of
IT in their organizations. Other award winners include leading
IT executives from corporations such as Bayer Pharmaceutical,
Circuit City Stores, Inc., Dow Chemical Company, and
MasterCard International.
The
Washington
Post, May 4, 2002
In his "Cityscape" column, architectural critic
Benjamin Forgey writes about the first phase of construction
of the Loudoun County courts complex, noting that: "With
its red-brick walls, white classical columns and domed cupola,
the old courthouse remains Leesburg's centerpiece. The new
architecture, though it nearly triples the size of the court
complex, reinforces the time-honored serenity of the
place."
Forgey says the architects "began with a sensitive
site plan -- a real gem -- that uses the added elements to
frame the old buildings and spaces. In the end, after Phase 2
is done next year, the spatial character of the courthouse
green actually will be enhanced."
Forgey adds that "Natural light is plentiful. High
windows bathe public gatherings with Virginia's springtime
glow. Octagonal skylights add dignity to the four second-story
court rooms."
Forgey also says, "The general airiness is, indeed,
remarkable, especially in view of today's ever-heightening
security concerns. Much of the credit is due the client -- the
county wanted lots of light, and got it."
Spotlight
on Virginia, January 2002
In the publication "Spotlight on Virginia," John
L. Knapp and Stephen C. Kulp of the Weldon Cooper Center for
Public Service at the University of Virginia report that newly
released data reported on Virginia individual income tax
returns filed for tax year 1999 show that Loudoun County led
the state in the category of married couple median adjusted
gross income (AGI). Knapp and Kulp write that "Loudoun
surpassed Fairfax, reflecting both Loudoun’s economic growth
as part of the Washington D.C. technology center and its
attraction of many well-educated, high-income new
residents."
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