DUMFRIES– A little over one year since the Weems-Botts museum renovated, changed the way they portrayed their history and reopened.
The change was welcomed by the community and tourism in Dumfries is on the rise.
Dan Cook, tourism marketing manager for Prince William County states in an email, “Museum staff projected attendance to be 18,000 in Fiscal 2019 and had reported 11,500 in FY17.  The museum and its two hotels are the main tourism drivers in the town.”
Lisa Timmerman is the new executive site manager. She took over managing the museum from Karleen Kovalcik several months ago. They share a similar vision for the museum and the historical narrative they want to portray to the public.
Timmerman states in an email, “Ms. Kovalcik and I both emphasize that [Historic Dumfries] is a non-profit organization and that focusing on our haunted folklore does not support our mission. Instead, we focus on the historic heritage of the house and community, educating people on what a fantastic nautical history Dumfries really has. However, we still want to engage those who love a ghost story, and we do so with our Ghost Walks in October – every Saturday from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.”
Kovalcik and Timmerman were looking deeper for more stories to accurately portray the full history of the museum, like the one of Violet Merchant.
“Violet Merchant was quite the superstar, and truly demonstrated the independence of early 20th century women. We knew that she worked in Washington D.C. in the early 1900s, but we also located a 1915 “Report of Ratings – Skilled Laborer” from the United States Civil Service Commission “grading” her work and even appearance. Her photographs show a brilliant and dedicated woman. We are also learning more about the other children as well. For example, we suspect that Mary was not actually secluded due to her illness, and are still researching our files to learn more from the primary document,” Timmerman said.
Timmerman has a clear vision for the future of the museum that includes really engaging the public.
“My vision is to help showcase the awesome history of Dumfries and remind every one of the treasure nearby in Prince William County. As a small museum, we offer many ways for the public to engage with us directly, and I am always happy to take guests on a tour or chat about the latest historical trends in museums. We are always happy to welcome new visitors as well, and my volunteers really help bring different and fresh perspectives to our museum,” Timmerman said.
This month, the Historic Dumfries will hold a Children’s Day at the Museum sponsored by Walmart on Saturday, Dec. 15, 2018. The event will focus on historic holiday traditions in the U.S. through the late 1800s.
PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY -- On the heels of the announcement that Amazon will be locating its new HQ2 in Arlington, George Mason University announced that their Science and Technology Campus will double in size over the next five years.
“The university has grown considerably in recent years, adding approximately 1000 additional students year over year. Today, our student body includes over 37,000 individuals. Enrollment is projected to grow to 43,000 students by 2024. Student enrollment in STEM programs is growing faster than most. Our SciTech campus facilities are essential to meet the needs of this growing student body,” Dr. Deborah Crawford, George Mason’s vice president for research said in an email.
The 20-year-old campus just outside Manassas will be expanded to include more student housing and will offer 4-year degrees for the first time, making it a full-service campus.
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STAFFORD -- The Stafford County Board of Supervisors unanimously voted in favor of moving forward with a grant application that, if approved, will help bring broadband Internet services residents in Marlborough Point and Widewater.
Stafford County has partnered with King George-based company, KGI Communications, LLC for the grant application.
The grant is offered by the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development. They have set aside grant money as part of the Virginia Telecommunications Initiative, “which provides grants to provide financial assistance to supplement construction costs by private sector broadband service providers, in partnership with local units of government to extend service to areas that presently are unserved by any broadband provider,” according to county documents.
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DUMFRIES -- Environmental experts are warning of a potential catastrophe if the coal ash at Possum Point and other toxic Virginia coal ash ponds is left as it currently is, in unlined pits.
Recycling industry experts say there is a market for the ash -- the substance left over after coal is burned to make electricity -- Â to use in products like concrete and wallboard.
Dominion Energy, the owner of the coal ash ponds, has a slightly different perspective.
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WOODBRIDGE -- A software glitch yesterday left about 10 percent of Prince William County School employees asking where their paychecks were.
“We have about 11,000 employees. About 1,100 belong to the PWC Employees Credit Union. Due to a technical issue at the credit union, about 1,100 were not paid. We have been in frequent contact with the Credit Union and assured that all direct deposits had been made today by 1:30 p.m.” Dianna Gulatta, Prince William County Schools spokeswoman said in an email.
Robin Bodie, CEO of the PWC Employees Credit Union, attributed the glitch to a change in the direct deposit file they received from the school division.
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WASHINGTON -- Sen. Tim Kaine is pushing for federal protection for school drinking water on top of Virginia's state-mandated protections for students.
Kaine joined 34 others in calling the Department of Education and the Environmental Protection Agency to protect students from lead in drinking water.
Virginia students have had some level of protection from lead in drinking water since 2017, when Section 22.1-135.1, “Potable water; lead testing” was added to the code of Virginia, but Kaine and his colleagues want federal protection for Virginia students, as well as students in other states where there are no such state laws.
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STAFFORD -- Stafford County continues to have issues with opportunistic criminals rifling through and stealing from unlocked vehicles.
Amanda Vicinanzo from the Stafford County Sheriff’s Office reported only about 26 percent of thefts and incidents of vehicle rummaging happened in locked vehicles. This shows that locking your vehicle and taking your valuables inside can be very effective against deterring thieves.
Viciananzo relayed stats from the county’s crime analyst. From January 1 until October 17, 2018, “there have been 186 total thefts from vehicles with about 49 of them being secured (it’s about 26% of the total),” she states in an email.
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Despite growing demands for transportation improvements and shrinking revenue streams, Monica Backmon aims to improve transportation for residents of Northern Virginia.
A juggling act — managing a regional board and dealing with revenue losses
As Executive Director of the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority (NVTA), Backmon manages a 17-member board of directors comprised mostly of elected officials from various Northern Virginia jurisdictions, including Prince William, as well as appointees made by the governor.
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WOODBRIDGE-- Prince William County is trying to become a safer, more accessible place for all its residents by adding sidewalks and bicycle trails.
On Tuesday, “The Prince William Board of County Supervisors voted to authorize the submission of the grant applications for the Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety Program,” Paolo Belita, regional transportation planner for Prince William County, states in an email.
The county will apply for funds from the Virginia Department of Transportation Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety Program. They anticipate the results of the funding requests will be available in Spring 2019, according to Belita.
