According to a press release from I-66 EMP — an alliance of infrastructure companies contracted to work in a public-private partnership with the Virginia Department of Transportation — the largest donation to date will be put toward a new mobile laboratory supporting science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education in the county. Last year, I-66 EMP donated $23,000 to support the installation of maker spaces at middle schools in PWCS.
“Over the years, [I-66 EMP have] proven to be an unwavering supporter of public education here in Prince William. We’re appreciative of this donation and we’re excited to see the benefits for all our students,” Dawn Davis, executive director of SPARK, said.
I-66 EMP and PWCS have had a long-standing relationship; I-66 EMP was the platinum sponsor of SPARK’s regional science and engineering fair in 2020 and earned the Business Partner Award in the same year from SPARK.
“Supporting public education in the region we serve has always been of paramount importance to our company,” Nancy H. Smith, I-66 EMP’s director of corporate affairs, said. “And supporting STEM education is key to preparing students for a high-tech future. That’s why we’re pleased to work with SPARK to enhance STEM education in Prince William County.”
Prince William County has implemented a new jughandle turn to connect Discovery Boulevard to the parkway. A jughandle turn is meant to eliminate traditional left turns at intersections and allow drivers to use a curved ramp on the right side to loop around. From the loop, drivers wait at a signal to either cross the main road or make a left turn onto a side street.
“The jughandle turn is part of ongoing efforts to improve traffic flow and minimize delays during peak travel times,” a county press release on the change stated. “Removing left turns at this busy intersection will help reduce congestion and enhance safety for residents and commuters.”
The new traffic signals at the jughandle will become operational following Wednesday’s morning rush hour. Beginning Thursday at 9 p.m., traffic lights at the intersection of Discovery Boulevard and Prince William Parkway will be adjusted, and by Friday morning, left turns at the intersection will no longer be possible.
Changes at this intersection have been in talks in the county since 2019. This was part of the Strategically Targeted Affordable Roadway Solutions (STARS) program — under the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) — which aims to develop solutions to congestion and safety challenges in the state. This traffic pattern change is part of a larger project along the Prince William Parkway and University Boulevard.
The Virginia Outdoors Foundation has awarded Woodbridge’s Freedom High School $25,000 to build a dedicated outdoor learning space, which is expected to open in the spring.
As the home for the Center for Environmental and Natural Sciences (CENS) program, Freedom High School will now be able to provide students in this program with a necessary outdoor learning space, a press release stated. CENS allows students to engage in lab and field science, interactive research and hands-on projects.
Freedom High currently has outdoor gardens and walking trails but lacks an outdoor learning space. According to a press release, the goal is the connect the existing trails with a learning space to “hopefully reduce chronic absenteeism and boost student engagement.”
“Many of our students face barriers such as poverty, food insecurities, violence, homelessness, limited access to the outdoors and poor health,” Jessica Doiron, Ed.D., coordinator of specialty programs and advanced academics at Freedom High, said. “Providing students with a dedicated outdoor learning space, where students can explore and make connections with living systems, will help break down those barriers as well as increase attendance, decrease behavior issues, support physical and mental health and build a sense of community.”
The Virginia Outdoors Foundation (VOF) aims to conserve land across the Commonwealth. Since it was founded in 1966, VOF has conserved more than 910,000 acres of land in 114 counties and cities. Earlier this month, VOF announced it was awarding nearly $1.7 million in grants to nine projects across the state; there’s an interactive dashboard available to see all of their conservation projects throughout their nearly 60-year history.
Prince William County Parks and Recreation partnered with Amazon Web Services InCommunites, a sector of the cloud-based service that helps local communities, and KABOOM!, a national nonprofit dedicated to ending playspace inequity, to make the new Fairmont Park playground possible.
The playground was designed by 30 children from Prince William County who shared drawings of their dream space. Demolition on the existing playground started in early October, and the playground was just recently completed following a week-long effort by volunteers to construct the new space.
More than 240 volunteers assisted from Oct. 23 through Saturday to make sure Fairmont Park was completed and ready for use by local children.
“We’re proud to amplify the efforts of organizations like Prince William County Parks and Recreation and KABOOM! to create welcoming spaces where children and families from all backgrounds and abilities can play and thrive,” Sarah Georgiades, head of InCommunities, Americas at AWS, said. “The new playspace at Fairmont Park is a testament to what we can achieve together, and we’re excited to continue working alongside the Prince William County community to drive positive change.”
“By allowing approved contractors to utilize same-day automated permitting, the SolarAPP+ initiative is poised to revolutionize the residential solar permitting landscape in the county,” Mandi Spina, the director of the Department of Development Services, said.
Approved contractors through the county will be able to submit their projects through the SolarAPP+ system, which checks for county-required criteria to ensure compliance. This system can issue permits on the same day.
According to a county press release, the SolarAPP+ system will help speed up the process for residential solar installations by cutting out plan review, reducing staff processing and permitting time along with other associated costs.
Freedom Forever Virginia and Sunrun Installation Services, both solar energy companies, piloted SolarAPP+, which was launched in 2021 by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.
Prince William County has implemented other automated systems that have sped up processes within the county government since the summer of 2023. In July 2023, an eReview system was launched to allow people to submit land development documents directly. In May 2024, an online tool allowed property owners to voluntarily receive permit activity updates.
Contractors must submit a request to become a county-approved SolarAPP+ contractor, attend a mandatory meeting and register with SolarAPP+.
Keen said city staff has been discussing the strain hosting several events has on the city's infrastructure and their workload.
"We have been a victim of our own successes," Keen said. "All of our events, when we first started [First Friday], we were just hopeful to get a few people to come to Old Town. ... We're so crowded. But what that has caused ... is the strain on our infrastructure for some of the locations, the strain on our staff and the strain on our community as a whole."
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Jennifer Chapman, Ed.D., the new Osbourn High School principal, gave a lengthy presentation to the School Board on Oct. 22 about the school's accreditation, new policies and student performance.
Chapman, who started at Osbourn this summer, was before the Board for nearly 1.5 hours during the three-hour meeting. She acknowledged that OHS wasn't in the best position.
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Happy Friday, Manassas!
Welcome to another City Council preview, this time for the Oct. 28 regular meeting. This week’s meeting will be held at the City Hall Council Chambers at 9027 Center St.
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Robinson made his Broadway debut in the Tony Award-winning production of “Hairspray” as Seaweed. Since then, he’s been in various Broadway productions, including “Disney’s The Little Mermaid,” “Hair,” “Ragtime,” “The Lion King,” “Beautiful: The Carole King Musical,” “The Book of Mormon” and “Les MisĂ©rables.”
During his three days with the choir, Robinson taught a three-hour masterclass, discussed his journey to Broadway, provided students with industry insights and took questions from students. A ninth-grade student, Maliya Trammell, performed “Rise Up,” and Robinson provided acting tips through song.
Sherlee Glomb, the OHS choral director, collaborated with Robinson to build anticipation for the spring musical, “Night on Broadway.” Students will also have the opportunity to attend Broadway and touring productions in Washington, D.C. and New York City.
Robinson performed his staple audition piece, “Hold On” from “The Secret Garden” and joined the Osbourn High choir during their finale piece with Laura Mills, an OHS choir alumna and president of the ARTfactory.
