Prince William County was named one of the top digital counties in the nation by the Center for Digital Government and the National Association of Counties.

The county received third place in the annual Digital Counties Survey in the 250,000-499,999 population category. This is the fourth consecutive year the county has placed in the top 10 in this category. Prince William was beaten out by Chesterfield County, Va., in first place and Cumberland County, N.C., in second. In 2023, Prince William won first place in this category.

This survey aims to identify the best technology practices among counties across the United States, including initiatives to streamline services, data analytics and enhanced cybersecurity with emerging technology.

“Amid falling tax revenue and growing demands on its Department of Information Technology, Prince William County nevertheless expanded and improved citizen services last year while initiating major improvements to several internal processes,” the survey results state.

The county was also recognized for its work to resolve technology access issues, affordability and digital literacy through DoIT’s Technology Inclusion Initiative. DoIT has also been working to enhance communications between residents and county leadership.

” “Four consecutive years of recognition demonstrates that our unwavering commitment to technology excellence, efficiency and value has emerged as a national example of how to deliver strong value to constituents and communities,” Rob Mancini, the county’s Chief Information Officer said in the release.

Nine other Virginia counties were placed among the nation’s top innovation counties.

• Albermarle County, seventh place (Up to 150,000 category)
• Arlington County, first place (150,000-249,999 category)
• Bedford County, third place (Up to 150,000)
• County of York, second place (Up to 150,000)
• Fairfax County, second place (1 million or more category)
• Franklin County, eighth place (Up to 150,000)
• James City County, fifth place (Up to 150,000)
• Orange County, ninth place (Up to 150,000)
• Stafford County, third place (150,000-249,999)

Happy Monday, Prince William County!

Welcome to my series of Board of County Supervisors previews, where I preview each Prince William County Board of Supervisors meeting so you know what’s going on, what to listen for, and how to talk about it later.

This is the last meeting of the summer before the Board goes on recess for the summer. The next meeting will be Sept. 3 at 2 p.m.

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Important links

• Meeting agenda
• Meeting agenda packet
• Where to watch

Key agenda items

Public safety funds for the Solheim Cup

The 19th Solheim Cup, a women’s professional golf team competition that’s expected to bring in $60 million for the region, will be held at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in Gainesville in September, and staff is recommending the Board appropriate $2 million for public safety operations during the tournament.

Staff estimated $2 million of safety support costs across the police and Fire & Rescue departments, Public Safety Communications and the Office of Emergency Management for personnel, equipment and contracted services, in the case of OEM.

$5 million was appropriated earlier this year by the Virginia General Assembly in the state budget to sponsor the event.

“The Virginia Tourism Authority shall use these funds to 1) promote Prince William County and other Virginia Tourism assets during this event and 2) provide grants to Prince William County to address public safety and transportation services required for the domestic and international travelers attending the event,” meeting document states.

Prince William County, if the Board approves, will submit a grant application to the Tourism Authority for $2 million from the $5 million already appropriated. But, the county needs to appropriate and budget $2 million upfront and recoup the money afterward if the application is approved.

Van Buren Road North/Route 234/Cardinal Drive project

Staff is recommending the Board approve the location of the Van Buren Road North extension between Route 234 and Cardinal Drive, which will bring a four-lane divided road with a shared-use path, sidewalk and bridge over Powell’s Creek.

This project has been in talks since 2020 and has been the subject of studies and public hearings, but is now reaching the Board’s desk for approval. If approved, the project will then be sent up the chain to the Federal Highways Administration for their approval and final design plans.

Detention center public lobby renovations

The Adult Detention Center in Manassas — which also serves Prince William County and Manassas Park — is seeking $1.75 million to renovate the public access lobby in its 2000s-era building.

The Central Building Phase I lobby became fully operational in late 2008 and, according to county documents, needs improvements to “enhance overall security measures for the facility, allow for improved security screenings and streamline operational requirements for reception and exit processes.”

This lobby is the only public access point and manages all visitors to the jail, including but not limited to family, friends, attorneys, volunteers, vendor contractors and staff. Inmates who are being released also exit through this lobby.

“The agency must make access available to the public 24/7 for magisterial services performed in the lower level of the building. Therefore, entries and exits must be managed around the clock,” county documents state.

Lobby renovations were initially slated to be part of the 2021 expansion project, but were cut due to funding constraints.

New businesses slated for the county

Several businesses are requesting special use permits across the county. Here are some of the highlights:

• Tommy’s Car Wash (Minnieville Shopping Center, Woodbridge)
• Gas station with 20 pumps (6371 John James Way, Haymarket)
• Wendy’s (6366 John James Way, Haymarket)
• Braemar Flagship Car Wash (9420 Linton Hall Road, Bristow)
• A “financial institution” with a drive-through (14890 Heathcote Blvd., Haymarket)
• Vehicle service facility (14890 Heathcote Blvd., Haymarket)
• Self-service car wash with vacuums (14890 Heathcote Blvd., Haymarket)
• Mystikos Armament (9356 Boley Place, Nokesville)
• Popeye’s (9885 Liberia Ave., Manassas)
• Starbucks (17050 Richmond Highway, Dumfries)
• Cozy Nest Family Child Childcare (16052 Barn Swallow Place, Woodbridge)

Adia Lynn Shanahan, 22, was arrested and charged with assault and battery on a law enforcement officer on July 13.

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Adam Bradley Holbrook, 44, turned himself in to Prince William County Police after an arrest warrant was obtained following a domestic dispute on July 14.

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Jonathan Matthew Campbell, 37, was arrested and charged on June 22 by Prince William County Police following an investigation into sexual assaults reported to have occurred between February 2015 and February 2016.

In the daily incident report released by Prince William County, the investigation reported the accuser, who was under 13 years old at the time of the offenses, was sexually assaulted more than once by Campbell, who she knew. The investigation revealed two other girls under 13 were sexually assaulted between January 2018 and April 2019.

More from Prince William Police:

On June 22, detectives concluded an investigation into sexual assaults that were
reported to have occurred at a residence in the Manassas (20111) area of Prince William County between February 2015 and February 2016. The investigation revealed the victim, who was under the age of 13 at the time of the offenses, was sexually assaulted on more than one occasion by the accused, who was known to the victim. While investigating the incident, detectives determined that the accused sexually assaulted two other known girls who were also under the age of 13 between January 2018 and April 2019. Following the investigation, detectives obtained arrest warrants for the accused, identified as Jonathan Matthew
CAMPBELL, who was taken into custody in Manassas City on June 22.

Jonathan Matthew CAMPBELL, 37, of no fixed address
Charged with 1 count of rape, 4 counts of aggravated sexual battery, and 1 count of indecent
liberties
Court Date: Pending | Bond: Unavailable

Happy Friday, Manassas!

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Carol “Sally” Keller, an 86-year-old memory care resident of The Wellington at Lake Manassas, was granted a years-long wish to go sailing with her family again.

David Keller, Sally’s son, said he grew up going sailing with his mother because it was a long-standing family tradition; Sally’s uncle had a 46-foot sailboat and her husband had a 17-foot sailboat that they often sailed on the Potomac River, the Chesapeake Bay and the Patuxent River.

Sally moved into The Wellington around five years and during the COVID-19 pandemic, she “visited” her family via video call, frequently when they were sailing.

“Mom would see the boat in the background and always said, ‘I want to go on your boat,'” David recalled. “[It was] probably not the world’s safest idea.”

David said he and his sister had reservations about taking her out on another boat as she grew older and her dementia progressed. But, that’s when Marie Garner, the Inspiritás — or memory care program — coordinator at The Wellington, approached the family with the facility’s “WOW Moment” initiative.

The initiative aims to provide “residents with a personalized experience that reminisces on times past, checks something off a bucket list or honors them in some way,” a press release states. These occur once a quarter for the memory care residents.

Even with this proposition, David and his sister were hesitant.

“We had to wait to find a big enough boat that was safe enough, had walls and … [we] thought we could get her on and off of,” David said. “My mother [can still walk], sort of, but she’s stubborn enough to not want to ride in a wheelchair or use a walker. There were some challenges, but I think she actually had a good time.”

Sally is minimally verbal, but according to David, she spoke some words during their trip across the Potomac. She was able to see some ducks following the boat and verbalized “ducks” in recognition of the group.

David said it was evident through her facial expressions that she recognized she was on a boat and wasn’t afraid.

“She wasn’t afraid of anything, which was another concern of mine,” he said. “I didn’t know how she was going to react [to the movement], but she was totally fine with all of that.”

The family even took her to the outside section of the boat on the way back so she could feel the breeze on the water.

“Other than being afraid of losing her hat, she seemed to enjoy that,” David said.

David said despite his initial reservations, he would encourage others to not be afraid to try an experience like this for their loved ones.

“If the activities director calls you up with a crazy idea, just go for it.”

Mayor Michelle Davis-Younger is kicking off the third year of her mid-day summer meet-ups on Friday at noon, this time at the newly renovated Manassas Museum.

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In honor of the Virginia, Maryland & Delaware Association of Electric Cooperatives (VMDAEC) 80th anniversary, they gave $80,000 in scholarships, thousands of which went to those served by the Northern Virginia Electric Cooperative (NOVEC).

VMDAEC, an association of electric cooperatives based in Glen Allen, announced the six local high school seniors who received $1,000 scholarships apiece:

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