Prince William County residents will still have the opportunity to provide input to the fiscal year 2021-2024 Strategic Plan after the Board of County Supervisors approved a revised timeline.

Updated every five years, the comprehensive plan guides the growth and development of the community. It articulates the goals and policies that the Board of County Supervisors relies on to make informed land-use development decisions and investments in public infrastructure. 

It also presents a blueprint for creating a great quality of place, quality of the community, and quality of life based on the county’s vision for its future.

David Sinclair, of the Prince William Office of Management and Budget, presented updates to the planning process during the Board’s June 2 meeting.

• The Board approved the originally proposed strategic planning process earlier this year at its January 28, 2020 work session. 
• As the original planning process entailed, a Strategic Plan Development Team (SPDT) was formed in February 2020. The team is comprised of 8 county residents and 7 county staff members, totaling 15 people. Each Board member appointed a resident from their district to the team.
• County staff serving on the team includes Lisa Mardon of Community Services, Tomaudrie Thomas of Criminal Justice Services, Ann Marie Maher of Department of Parks, Recreation & Tourism, Bryce Barrett of Planning, Jarad Phelps of Police, Courtney Tierney of Social Services and Paolo Belita of Transportation. Each of the mixed levels of staff from different departments will support focus areas throughout the planning process.
• The SPDT will assist with the planning process and draft the FY21-24 plan as well as the next strategic plan.

SPDT moves to virtual planning

Adjustments to the original plan included the implementation of a virtual development process. This change was enforced in order to adhere to social distancing guidelines and allows the SPDT to work together remotely. The initial team member responsibilities required them to attend a one-day training and team meetings.

The team will use community input to identify focus areas and priorities for the plan, develop a draft, and then finalize it after soliciting feedback on the draft from the community and the Board.

Revised Timeline

The county’s plans of engaging with the community will be carried online

• Online community surveys: June-August 2020
• Virtual community conversations in each district: Mid-June – Mid-September 2020
• Seeking feedback on the strategic plan once it is drafted; hosting virtual forums: Mid-December 2020 – January 2021

The community will have until mid-September of this year to provide input on the goals and priorities of the plan. The Board is scheduled to have a work session on September 15, where the public is usually allowed to provide input to the Board during public comment time. 

The work session will be the last public forum held before the SPDT begins drafting the Strategic Plan. The team will be tasked with completing the drafted Strategic Plan by December 2020. 

Beginning in January 2021, the community will have two months to review the draft and provide feedback on the drafted strategic plan and SPDT revisions. 

In February 2021, a finalized version of the Strategic Plan will be brought to the Board for adoption. County staff says that the adopted Strategic Plan will guide the fiscal year 2022 budget decisions.

The SPDT will begin working Thursday.

According to the county website, questions about the strategic plan can be emailed to [email protected] or directed to the Strategic Plan Coordinator, Kaye Wallace, whose phone number is 703-792-7058.

The presentation for the revised 2021-2024 Strategic Plan Development Process can be found here, while the presentation for the original Strategic Plan Development Process can be found here. Both can also be found on the county website. 

The Prince William Board of County Supervisors on Sunday held an emergency meeting where it asked its police department to discuss the tactics used during a massive protest outside Manassas.

More than 250 people gathered at 5 p.m. Saturday, May 30 for a peaceful protest at the corner of Sudley Road and Sudley Manor Drive, about five miles from Manassas. They were protesting the death of Minneapolis resident George Floyd, 46, who died during an arrest attempt by a police officer who is now charged in his death.

Just after 8 o’clock, the rally turned unruly with protestors throwing objects at drivers and police. A riot ensued resulting in multiple police agencies descending onto the county, with officers donning helmets and shields, leading five arrests — including the arrest of a driver charged with DUI and other offenses for driving through a police perimeter, nearly striking officers posted at the location, police said.

Four Prince William police officers were injured during the riot, one suffering a significant head injury requiring treatment at an area hospital.

Virginia State Police, one of the agencies called to assist Prince William, used pepper spray and rubber bullets to disperse the crowd. Those actions prompted residents to contact Supervisors with questions about the actions taken by police against protestors, they said.

During the Sunday meeting, Supervisors heard a briefing about tactics used to disperse the riot.

Prince William County Police Department Deputy Chief Lt. Col. Jared Phelps told Supervisors he arrived on the scene at 8 p.m. to find groups of protestors on the corner of Sudley Road and Sudley Manor Drive, as well as a large group within the median, choking the flow of traffic.

“We realize that not everyone was there to protest in a violent manner,” said Phelps.

Phelps told supervisors that there were individuals present who were not there to protest peacefully or legally. Later in the evening, Prince William police received reports of people jumping on cars about 11 p.m. Because of this, police called an unlawful assembly.

Police were planning for a peaceful protest

On Friday, Prince William police received a tip from another law enforcement agency in the form of a Snapchat message about plans for a protest Saturday. Prince William mined social media in an attempt to determine the credibility of the tip that agency had forwarded and eventually spoke to a potential protest organizer. From the conversation, the police learned that the event was going to be peaceful, said Phelps.

“That’s what we want. As a department, we’re here to safeguard all the [First Amendment] rights for everybody. We want people to protest in a lawful, legal way so they can exercise their First Amendment rights,” said Phelps.

Afterward, Prince William asked for help from Virginia State Police to have plans and resources in place to ‘handle certain situations.” Phelps says his department coordinated with state authorities because of the protest’s potential effect on nearby Interstate 66, which falls under the jurisdiction of state police.

The first protestor arrived at 4:30 p.m., and from there the number of protestors swelled.

“We had given them some leeway in the fact that they were crossing over into the median, which is dangerous absolutely, but we were allowing latitude because we wanted everyone to exercise their first amendment right and protect that. [We wanted to] protect the area, we felt we could do that,” said Phelps.

Police call in backup

Prince William received information about its officers being surrounded by protestors at about 7:30 p.m. The department called for additional resources and assistance from nearby localities to regulate the protest, including Manassas, Fairfax County, and Virginia State Police, as they felt it was starting to get dangerous.

As more officers were moved in, conditions quieted down. At this point, Prince William backed off its request for additional assistance.

Virginia State Police deployed rubber bullets and gas on individuals

However, some who weren’t at the peaceful protest showed up and started throwing objects at law enforcement, and Prince William called in help from the state police.

Prince William police believed that some individuals attempted to march on I-66, reinforcing its decision to call for backup.

The two agencies worked together and held a line, stopping a group of rioters at Rosemary Drive, about a half-mile west of Sudley Manor Drive. Police held this position for “quite a while.” After they cleared the cars, Sudley Road was closed between Balls Ford Road and Lomond Drive.

As the riot continued later into the night, state police used rubber bullets and pepper spray to subdue the rioters. Phelps told Supervisors that while he was not the one in charge or to give the order to use rubber bullets or gas, he takes full responsibility for the actions taken by state police as it was the agency in charge of handing the riot.

Prince William does not train its officers in the use of rubber bullets but does provide training on gas. Virginia State Police troopers are trained in both.

Virginia State Police spokeswoman Corinne Geller gave Potomac Local News this statement:

“Once the Unlawful Assembly was declared by the Prince William County police and the protesters’ violence escalated against law enforcement, state police utilized non-lethal tactics in an effort to disperse the crowd and restore order. The actions taken by state police are within state police policy and were necessary for the safety of our personnel and for the community. As the protesters became more aggressive with throwing bricks, large rocks and bottles at law enforcement, state police had no choice but to respond with different non-lethal tactics – OC “pepper” spray and powder, and rubber pellets. No CS gas was ever deployed by state police Saturday night.  

By the time the crowds finally dispersed early Sunday morning, a total of 10 Virginia State Police troopers were injured. Fortunately, injuries were minor and only one trooper had to be transported to a nearby hospital for treatment.”

Woodbridge District Supervisor Margaret Franklin questioned the use of pepper spray to disperse the crowd. 

“I would not want that used if we can avoid it if at all possible. [Lt. Col. Phelps] and I had a very good discussion about that last night and you did clear that you guys were not using that, that you had no intention of doing that if at all possible. And you did reveal that the state police had used it. And I just want to say to the public that I stand by that,” said Franklin.

Fairfax County police protected businesses

During the night, the Fairfax County police sent officers to protect surrounding businesses from possible damage from rioters. At least five businesses that were damaged Saturday night, one of which involved an individual attempting to ram their car into the back of a store.

The riot broke up about 12:30 a.m. Sunday.

Woodbridge Supervisor Margaret Angela Franklin wrote on Facebook Sunday that she was against the use of tear gas.

“Please know that while those protests were taking place, myself, along with several of my colleagues made it clear to County police that we are against the use of tear gas. However, state police did in fact use tear gas and pepper spray. Several members of both the state and congressional delegations have made several calls to State police and the Northam Administration to figure out what happened and why the use of tear gas. I will share more information as that becomes available.”

“Call for Calmness”

Supervisors asked Phelps what police need to help quell the unrest, and if the department wanted leaders to enact a countywide curfew. Phelps declined and, instead, asked members of the Board of Supervisors to “call for calmness” amongst their constituents.

“Please. Please. Legally, peacefully, we want to help everyone protest and exercise their first amendment rights as much as we can, but we have to do this in an orderly, peaceful manner,” said Phelps.

More violence 

Following the emergency meeting, police in Manassas declared an unlawful assembly after another protest that began peacefully ended in violence, with the windows to several businesses on Liberia Avenue being shattered.

Last night in Gainesville, protestors who had been marching on sidewalks in the Gainesville area with a police escort for most of the day spilled onto U.S. 29 about 10 p.m., forcing the closure of a portion of the highway. 

Earlier in the evening, further south in Fredericksburg, protestors on the Cambridge Street Bridge over the Rappahannock River smashed the window of a car that was trying to bypass a line of protestors who had linked arms and formed a human wall. One of the protestors smashed the windows of the car causing the shattered glass to fall onto the three occupants of the vehicle, including a one-year-old child.

The Stafford County Sheriff’s Office, which already had deputies on the scene, deployed smoke, and later CS gas to disperse the crowd. No one was seriously injured.

A popular neighborhood fitness and swimming center will now be used to house the homeless who have been affeetd by the coronavirus.

The Sharon Baucom Dale City Rec Center (DCRC), located at 14300 Minnieville Road in Dale City, will be used as a shelter for adults who are homeless during Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam’s shutdown issued in late March in response to the spread of the coronavirus. 

The rec center will temporarily replace an overnight homeless shelter and the Bill Mehr Drop-In Center whose functions are now combined at the Dale City Rec Center. The rec center was opened to homeless individuals on Friday, May 1 at 6:30 p.m., according to a Prince William County spokeswoman.

The purpose is to allow sufficient social distancing and a place for adults experiencing homelessness to shelter, she adds.

Streetlight Community Outreach Ministries is the contracted service provider with support from the Prince William County Department of Social Services (DSS). The Prince William County Government tells Potomac Local News that the Department of Social Services is unaware of any other community centers being converted to house adults experiencing homelessness.

Prior to its decision to house the homeless at the recreation center, the county had already closed all fitness and rec centers, and playgrounds due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Under normal circumstances, the Dale City Recreation Center is open to the public and features a cardio and strength training area, multipurpose rooms used for dancing, tumbling, and martial art, basketball and volleyball courts, a pilates studio, and hot tub.

 

Real Estate taxes are going up for Prince William County residents this year.

On Tuesday night, The Prince William Board of County Supervisors adopted its annual budget and a Real Estate tax rate of $1.125 per $100 of assessed value for Fiscal Year 2021. The new budget also comes with a series of higher taxes and fees, including a fire levy rate of $0.0800 per $100 valuation on all real estate and restricts these funds for fire and rescue purposes.

The average family’s residential tax bill will increase by $177 more than what residents paid the last year, bringing the average bill up to $4,664.

The tax rate is the same as last year’s, however, due to increased property values, residents’ bills will increase. If the Board had voted to reduce the tax rate to $1.082, the average residential tax bill would stay the same.

The Prince William County Government provided a list of all tax rates for the coming year, including a 10-cent hike on the business computer tax. There will also be less tax relief for vehicle owners, as vehicles valued between $1,001 and $20,000, and those valued over $20,000 will have their tax bills reduced by 45 percent, one percent less than this year.

The budget vote was split down party lines, with five Democrats on the Board of County Supervisors voting to approve the tax hike, while three Republicans, Yesli Vega, Jeanine Lawson, and Peter Candland, of the Coles, Brentsville, and Gainesville districts, respectively, voted against the $1.125 tax rate.

The higher tax bills come as a record 500,000 Virginians have filed for unemployment since March 15, 2020, following the coronavirus outbreak. This is the first budget passed by this sitting Prince William Board of County Supervisors, which flipped from Republican control the Democratic control in last year’s November General Election.

The tax bills will be lower than what was initially proposed by Prince William County Executive Christopher Martino. On February 18, Martino proposed a $1.3 billion budget to fund the county’s government over the coming year. It would have meant the average property owners would have received a $4,432 tax bill in the mail — about $255 more than what the average taxpayer paid last year.

That same night, the Board of County Supervisors approved an even higher advertised tax rate that would have increased the average tax bill about $500. However,  support for that effort quickly faded amount the Democrats who initially voted for it following the coronavirus pandemic.

The Board of County Supervisors has been reviewing the proposed FY 2021 budget through work sessions and regular meetings. The FY2021 Budget implements the County/School revenue agreement, which allocates 57.23% of general revenues to the school division.

• Dramatic changes in lifestyle, mandated by Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam, such as the avoidance of the gathering in groups of more than 10 people, resulted in large decreases in the county’s general revenue sources for FY20. On March 31, County Executive Christopher Martino briefed the Board on a projected $2.4M shortfall in general revenue for the FY20 as a result of COVID-19.

Prince William County Board of Supervisors Chair, At-large Ann Wheeler described the budget as a “moving target” and along with other Supervisors, commended county staff for their hard work on the FY 2021 budget. Wheeler gave special praise to the Office of Management and Budget Director, David Sinclair, and his staff.

The Board also adopted the FY 2021 fee schedule for the county’s Department of Parks, Recreation, and Tourism.

Other budget notes include:

A total of 57 Facebook donors contributed $2,060 to watch Manassas City Councilman Ian Lovejoy give himself a haircut live on Facebook.

All proceeds went to Old Town Strong in support of the out of work restaurant bar and staff in Old Town Manassas.

On April 8, The Manassas City Council member created a fundraiser on his Facebook page with a goal of raising $1,000 in 10 days. In just one day, donors surpassed the $1,000 milestone.

Shocked, and not quite ready to buzz his hair off, Lovejoy decided to increase the goal to $2,000, which was met the next day.

“I never thought we’d hit the goal,” said Lovejoy.

On Tuesday night, over 100 viewers tuned in to the Facebook live stream and watched Councilman Lovejoy shave his head in his home bathroom with clippers. The video has received up over 1,000 views.

Lovejoy’s buzzcut comes after Virginia Governor Ralph Northam ordered a statewide closure of certain non-essential businesses, including hair salons and barbershops, on March 23.

Lovejoy is not new to hosting events on Facebook Live. He often hosts “fireside chats,” where he answers the public’s questions regarding the city’s response to the coronavirus.

He also coordinated a Facebook Live concert series called Manassas LIVE, which features local musicians performing on Facebook live every Sunday night. It serves as a way to keep the old town Manassas musicians engaged in a community.

“Thanks everyone for the support in tonight’s Facebook live Charity buzz cut. It means the world for everyone who thought enough to take time to watch this craziness live,” Lovejoy’s posted to his Facebook page.

Old Town Strong is the charity arm of the Old Town Whiskey Club that works with local organizations to bring relief and support to the Downtown Manassas Community. Old Town Whiskey Club was started by Greg Cook in 2019, and today has over 40 founding members based in Manassas. Their current fundraiser is titled the “COVID-19 Bar Relief Fund.”

Their website states:

“For much less than one night’s bar tab, you can support  your neighbors in time of need & impact the lives of Old Town Manassas bar employees who have always been there for you. 100% of the proceeds will go directly to Old Town Manassas bar employees who are struggling during this crisis. In this time of uncertainty you can provide relief to those who have always had your back.”

Cook, President and founder of Old Town Whiskey Club, told Potomac Local News that Lovejoy’s donation would push Old Town Strong’s total funds raised to roughly $15,000. According to Cook, Old Town Strong had raised around $13,000 from both donations and selling “Old Town Strong” t-shirts and hats.

• As of Wednesday, Old Town Strong has sold 977 shirts and 25 hats.

At the end of this week, the merchandise and donation profits will be distributed evenly amongst the twelve participating Old Town restaurants, whose names are featured on the back of the t-shirts:

• Old town sports pub
• Three Monkeys Pub
• Philadelphia Tavern
• C.J. Finnz Bar and Grille
• Public House Brewery
• Crossroads Tabletop Tavern
• Zandras Taqueria
• Okra’s Cajun Creole
• Carmello’s/Monza
• City Tavern
• Mariachi’s Tequileria & Restaurant
• Sinistral Brewing Company

Cook says Old Town Whiskey Club plans to continue hosting fundraisers to support the businesses in Downtown Manassas, where it would usually host their social club meetups as well as spend time with their families and friends.

Cook says future fundraiser details will be released soon. While the social club has experienced success in selling merchandise, they are open to suggestions for raising funds.

“This is our first fundraiser. We have done donations [in the past] but never organized one ourselves. we wanted it to be impactful and make a splash,”  said Cook

Cook said Ian Lovejoy had asked their club he could help, leading to the “buzz cut for charity” idea.

Freelance Photographer Sandy Schaeffer-Hopkins had also offered to help the club raise cash by taking a series of “Front Porch Photos.” The photographer is offering a $99 one hour front porch photo session.  A portion of the photoshoot profits will go to Old Town Strong, as well as any future fundraisers Old Town Whiskey Club sponsors. Customers can view examples and schedule their front porch photoshoots by visiting porchphoto.com.

Cook says for the foreseeable future, Old Town Whiskey Club plans to host their future meetings only be in Downtown Manassas or it’s local distilleries to continue supporting the Old Town Manassas businesses.

“Right now the most important thing is sticking together,” said Cook

Supporters are encouraged to use the hashtag #OldTownStrong and to donate through oldtownstrong.com.

If you’ve seen one of these robots meandering down the streets of Old Town Fairfax, it’s not lost.

Three of these robots from Starship Technologies are mapping the core of Old Town Fairfax, in a one-mile radius from Main Street and Chain Bridge Road.

Fairfax City has begun developing a pilot program that would involve these robots delivering food from Old Town restaurants to residents who are at-risk due to their age or compromised immune systems. This project follows Virginia Governor Ralph Northam’s Executive Order, ordering Virginia residents to temporarily stay at home to combat the coronavirus outbreak through June 10.

Because they can travel for up to a mile, these robots have an opportunity to serve multiple homes.

The city staff that is partnering with Starship Technologies are hoping to get the robots rolling on Thursday, April 16. They anticipate that residents will be able to utilize the delivery service by downloading an app and order directly from participating city businesses.

Fairfax City Director of Economic Development Christopher Bruno told Potomac Local News that they plan to start with a small number of robots and a small number of city businesses that will offer goods. City staff will then monitor operations such as demand and use of the service.

“[The] Safety of our residents, motorists, bicyclists, and of course the drones is our priority,” said  Bruno.

Initially, the robots will only deliver food, but the idea is to expand this to a form of grocery and convenience service. Fairfax City officials are currently working to figure out the logistics of this expansion.

It is unclear if restaurant owners will have to pay a fee to participate in the robot delivery service. Bruno told Potomac Local News that there will be a small delivery fee, and the city is potentially looking at some form of support to help Fairfax City-based businesses.

Bruno says their focus lies on providing a way for businesses that are struggling through this emergency to connect with residents who need access to these businesses.

One the governor’s stay-at-home order is lifted, Bruno the city will evaluate how the project worked, and if they want to keep it going. They’ll be monitoring the cleanliness of the robots as they roam around the sidewalks.

“The use of delivery robots, by its nature, reduces the likelihood of human-to-human interaction.  So, that is a big factor right off the bat. Likewise, restaurants should be monitoring the hygiene and cleanliness of their food preparation locations,” said Bruno.

In 2017, Virginia became the first state to pass legislation to allow delivery robots to operate on sidewalks. The law allows cities like Fairfax to regulate how the robots operate, regulating the robots’ speed of travel and the delivery routes they use.

George Mason University’s Fairfax Campus made headlines when they became the first college campus to use the state-of-the-art robot delivery service in January 2019.

The public research university launched 25 robots at the beginning of the Spring 2019 semester, allowing anyone on the campus to order from one of the many campus restaurants using the Starship Deliveries app. Users pay for their food orders as well as a small delivery fee through the app, and can expect their food to be delivered within 30 minutes.

The robots are not allowed in the campus buildings, so users must meet them at the door. The robots secure orders with a locking function, and can only be unlocked with through the app upon arrival.

The Prince William County Government is facing a major revenue shortfall in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

Businesses have been forced to close, and life for residents has been upended, leading to a projected $2.4 million revenue shortfall.

Dramatic changes in lifestyle, mandated by Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam, such as the avoidance of the gathering in groups of more than 10 people, have resulted in large decreases in the county’s general revenue sources.

There’s been a projected $4.6 million decrease in sales tax revenues. As for Business, Professional and Occupational License (BPOL) taxes, the county projects a $2.6 million reduction in these revenues.

Prince William County Executive Christopher Martino briefed the Board of County Supervisors on the projected revenue shortfall on Tuesday, March 31, 2020, and provided this rundown:

Martino expressed to the Board that County Staff has taken the following actions to conserve cash and maintain the county’s budget capacity:

• Implemented a hiring freeze for the remainder of 2020, until further notice, except for mission-essential positions
• Shifting focus on providing only core services
• Suspending all capital projects not currently under contract.
• The county will continue to move forward with projects funded by non-local sources, such as transportation projects, like the diverging diamond interchange to be built at the intersection of Balls Ford Road and Prince William Parkway, which was funded by the developers of the Interstate 66 E-ZPass Express Lanes project.
• No new capital project approvals until further notice.

Given these cuts, Martino believes he’ll be able to keep the county’s government up and running for the remainder of the current fiscal year ending on June 30.

“Moving on to Fiscal Year 2021… it gets complicated,” said Martino.

On February 18, Martino stood before the Board of County Supervisors and proposed a $1.3 billion budget to fund the county’s government over the coming year. It would have meant the average property owners would have received a $4,432 tax bill in the mail — about $255 more than what the average taxpayer paid last year.

Martino and the Board of County Supervisors must still decide if they’re going to keep the proposed rate.

Late last month, Gainesville District Supervisor Peter Candland was joined by fellow Supervisors Jeanine Lawson and Yesli Vega, of the Brentsville and Coles districts, respectively, to keep taxes flat in the coming year.

Meanwhile, Board of County Supervisors Chair At-large Ann Wheeler argued for keeping the proposed budget as is, so that the county may continue with its plan to provide more funding for schools, to the tune of $39 million more in the next year, provide over a million more to Northern Virginia Community College, hire new police officers, as well as continue with a $13 million plan to provide a 3% pay raise for employees in the coming year.

Those budget drivers, and others, are outlined starting on page seven of Martino’s budget presentation.

On Tuesday, Martino proposed cuts to some of those budget drivers, including pay raises, increasing the number of police officers and fire and paid career fire and rescue crews, cutting back on field maintenance in county parks, and keeping county swimming pools closed for the summer season.

He proposed increasing the county’s computer tax, which is largely paid by data centers located in the western portion of the county, to bring in an additional $800,000.

The county’s five-year financial plan, outlined here on page five of this PDF, will also need to be revised, said Martino.

Also on Tuesday, the Board of County Supervisors voted to suspend in-person public comment during its sessions, due to the coronavirus outbreak, until June 10 — the date in which Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam’s latest executive order mandating Virginians stay at home, expires.

Residents are encouraged to use the county’s “Speak Up Prince William” service to make comments about the budget proposals. Supervisor Lawson also urged the county to implement a call-in session during Board of Supervisors meetings where residents can call in and speak to their elected officials. Of course, there’s always email, as all Supervisors have their contact information listed on the county’s website.

Officials will continue their deliberations on the budget on the following dates:

• April 14- Budget Recap (Afternoon Meeting)
• April 14- Public hearing (Evening, Required)
• Apri 21- Budget Markup (a final review of the budget by the Board of County Supervisors, planned during its evening session). 

The final budget is expected to be adopted on April 28.

*This story has been corrected: An earlier version incorrectly stated three Prince William County Supervisors proposed a flat tax rate prior to the coronavirus outbreak. 

The county animal shelter is supposed to be a clean, safe haven for pets who have wandered away, or for animals who have nowhere else to go.

The 45-year-old animal shelter on Bristow Road in Prince William County, however, is described as a place so disgusting employees and volunteers who pause to eat during their lunch breaks do so in a kitchen full of mouse droppings.

And the more than five-year process to build a new replacement building has become just as “deplorable,” said Woodbridge District Supervisor Margaret Franklin.

The Prince William County Board of Supervisors once again this week heard from Deputy County Executive Rebecca Horner, who briefed the board on plans to choose a contractor to build a $15.1 million facility by mid-March. It will replace the current shelter, and work on the building about a year-and-a-half behind schedule as the new facility that was was supposed to open this year.

So far, no dirt has been turned.

“I volunteer at the animal shelter. You cannot come to the kitchen in the shelter where the staff is supposed to have lunch without seeing mouse droppings, etc,” said Louise Weitzel, of Bristow.

She was one of the multiple people who chastised the Board of County Supervisors, and the county staff that reports to it, for the ongoing delays on the project. The criticism comes after Supervisors approved the design for a new shelter in 2017 and allocated funds to pay for it two years later.

Residents lash out at staff, call for audit 

Many urged elected leaders to audit the county staff over the delays, laying the blame at County Executive Christopher Martino. “It’s your job to get this county’s staff to come clean,” one resident told the Board of County Supervisors.

Last week, Horner blamed the delays on communication problems with the firm it hired to design the shelter, Alexandria-based Cole and Denny Architects.

The county also worked to trim back the project in a process it calls “value engineering,” where it pressed the architects to make changes to their design to save money. That process also delayed things, we’re told.

But now, as the county readies to issue construction permits, there is conflicting information on what, exactly, will be built. Supervisors on Tuesday went back and forth with staff over the planned square footage of the new facility. Was the building going to be 27,000, or the 28,000 square feet as originally planned?

And what about the new need for an animal barn to be built as part of the new shelter in order to house large numbers of animals that have been rescued from the likes of hoarders — a need that wasn’t been discussed until now.

Martino promised to return at the next Board of County Supervisors meeting on March 10 with some answers. “Aside from the square footage decrease, it’s essentially the same building as before,” he assured Supervisors.

The foreclosed building in Manassas Park

But, before county leaders made it to that point, Martino and Horner spent the early portion of Tuesday’s meeting talking about an entirely new option:  blow up the plan to build a new shelter and instead, purchase a former veterinary clinic outside the of the county, in Manassas Park, and renovate the existing 45-year-old shelter next to the county landfill.

Leaders didn’t go for the $10 million plan to purchase the Blooms Quarry Animal Shelter at 9471 Manassas Drive in Manassas Park. The building and the one-acre of land on which it sits are assessed at $2.3 million, is in foreclosure, and is set to be auctioned on Thursday, Feb. 27, 2020.

If Supervisors chose this option, Horner needed them to commit to it on the fly Tuesday night, the first time the Board, and the public, had heard about the scheme.

The 43,000 square-foot building would need to be completed renovated for use as a county animal shelter and would be used in conjunction with the existing animal shelter, which would also be renovated.

Horner told elected leaders this plan would cost 62% less than the long-standing plan to build a new standalone shelter. When Brentsville District Supervisor Jeanine Lawson questioned the figure, saying the numbers didn’t add up, Horner doubled down and assured her it was correct.

Shortly thereafter, Martino corrected Horner and supported Lawson’s assertion that, in fact, the new plan saves the county only a third of the cost to build a new facility.

Prince William County Supervisors Jeanine Lawson and Victor Angry announced the new plan at a press conference Tuesday afternoon, held outside the existing county animal shelter.

Under the new plan, dubbed Option E, the new dual-building animal shelter would retain many of the features the Board of County Supervisors said it wanted in 2017, like an isolation and recovery room for sick animals, and more than 160 kennels for dogs and cats.

But overall, cumulative square footage is reduced from 28,000 to 25,000 square feet. Nice-to-have amenities like a 500 square-foot employee gym cut.

The project would also be phased, with county staff taking occupancy of the newly renovated shelter starting this fall, and then slowly over the course of the next year.

Already spent $1 million 

The county has already shelled out $1 million for the design of the animal shelter approved in 2017 to Alexandria-based Cole and Denny Architects, who designed the completely new building that is expected to last at least 25 years before it needs to be replaced. Occoquan District Supervisor Kenny Boddye was quick to point out that fact.

Supervisor Lawson took issue with the haste in which the Manassas Park option was presented to the Board of County Supervisors. “A concept worth $10 million… and completely reversing course… its something I can’t get to,” said Lawson. “It might be a great deal, a great idea. But I can’t make these big decisions on the fly that cost millions of dollars.”