FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Re: Proposed Dominion Power Line Placement in Loudoun Valley Estates and Adjacent to Rosa Lee Carter Elementary and Rock Ridge High School
Having recently met with residents and parents in Loudoun Valley Estates (LVE), I want to share my thoughts on the ongoing Golden to Mars transmission line discussion that potentially impacts the co-located campus housing Rosa Lee Carter Elementary and Rock Ridge High School and the surrounding LVE community.
I appreciate the Loudoun County School Board’s March 2025 vote against allowing overhead power lines to be installed on our school properties. While I was not on the School Board at the time, that decision reflects our unwavering commitment to student safety and the preservation of educational resources that our children depend on daily.
My primary focus as a School Board member is ensuring safe, healthy learning environments for all students in our district. The proposed above ground power line placement near Rosa Lee Carter Elementary School and Rock Ridge High School raises significant concerns that extend beyond property boundaries—they affect the educational experience and wellbeing of our students.
Educational and Environmental Concerns
The Broad Run Stream Valley on the western side of Rosa Lee Carter Elementary serves as an active outdoor classroom where students engage in hands-on science education, studying ecology, environmental systems, and our natural world. This irreplaceable educational resource must be protected. Similarly, the cross country route on the north side of these campuses provides essential athletic opportunities for our student athletes and supports our physical education programs.
Preserving Thoughtful Community Design
These school campuses and the surrounding Loudoun Valley Estates neighborhoods were thoughtfully designed with intentional green space buffers, pedestrian safety features, and aesthetic considerations. The walking paths and tree-lined corridors on the south side along Loudoun Reserve Parkway provide safe routes for students walking to school. The eastern buffer adjacent to the planned Amazon Web Services data center, the stream valley to the west, and the athletic spaces to the north all serve critical functions for our school community.
Moving Forward
I stand with our students, families, educators, and neighbors in the Loudoun Valley Estates community in calling for solutions that prioritize public health, student safety, and the preservation of educational and recreational resources. I will not support any route that encroaches on, or is adjacent to, any LCPS school property or through existing neighborhoods.
Alternative routing options must be explored that do not compromise our children’s learning environments or the character of our residential neighborhoods. Our community deserves infrastructure decisions that reflect the same care and planning that went into designing these schools and neighborhoods in the first place.
My primary preference is for all powerlines to be buried underground. I will not support any above ground options that come adjacent to, or on, school property or directly through existing housing developments.
I remain committed to working with Dominion Energy, county officials, and our community to find solutions that meet our region’s energy needs without sacrificing the safety and educational opportunities of our students.
Amy Riccardi, MEd
Member, Loudoun County School Board | Sterling District
Visit www.Amy4SterlingSB.com
Download public statement here.