Business in Manassas is looking up, according to the city’s economic development director.

In fact, there are more jobs available right now in the city than there are people to fill them. “The city is prosperous,” said city economic development director Patrick Small during a city council meeting on Monday, January 27.

Small provided his annual report to the council.

The people who do work in the city — many of them drive from surrounding jurisdictions like Fairfax and Prince William counties to get to their jobs.

The city’s largest employers continue to be Micron, Novant/UVA Health System Prince William Medical Center, Lockheed Martin, and BAE Systems, according to Small.

Small also touted the expansion of High Purity Systems, a manufacturer who last fall decided to invest $8.5 million in the city to expand and create 105 new jobs.

And, despite a $3 billion expansion of Micron announced in 2018 — the largest economic development project in Virginia history — smaller firms, between five and 30 employees are the heart of the city’s business ecosystem, Small contends.

Industry and commercial make up 35% of the city’s tax base, while the majority of the tax base remains residential. Workers pull down an average salary of $60,000 a year, he added.

The city generated $9 million in sales tax last year, and $4.5 million in meals taxes charged when people dine out, and most of that is paid by people visiting from outside the city, he added.

In the years ahead, the new mixed-use development, to include commercial, retail, and residential housing will open at The Landing at Cannon Branch, at the intersection of Godwin Drive and Gateway Boulevard.

The development will also include a new hotel that the city agreed to support with a $10,000 grant from the city once it opens.

The city also hopes to increase the number of visitors to the city in the next year from 450,000 to half a million.

As Manassas Park considers getting out, its residents are urging it to stay in.

City residents were asked to weigh in on the Prince William Public Library System, of which the city is a member, recently courtesy of a survey from the Manassas Park Community Center.

The survey comes as it, and its neighboring city of Manassas, is considering learning the PrincE William County Library System and striking out on their own. That would end a years-long shared services agreement where both cities agreed to pay the county’s library system so its residents could check out books and materials, and to use the facilities.

However, Manassas is considering opening a new library inside the Wellington Station shopping center and outsourcing its operations to a private firm. Manassas Park has made no decision on how to proceed.

There were 10 responses from Manassas Park residents who were upset about the possibility of the city leaving the county library system. When asked about what residents and their household liked most about the library, one comment states, “the wide array of resources available through the [Prince William County] library network… we cannot replicate that in the Park. We don’t have the resources.”

Another stated, “The fact that almost every single book I have ever needed has been available to check out. If [Prince William] doesn’t have it, Fairfax usually does. Please do not do anything to cause us to lose access to the Prince William and Fairfax county libraries. Make sure we have reciprocity.”

“That communities with libraries are exposing their residents to things that expand their minds and help them learn. [Manassas Park] without a library is a very shortsighted decision.”

When asked what frustrations the survey respondents and their household had when engaging with the library, people also aired their frustration about Manassas Park’s library decision.

One respondent wrote, “Manassas Park’s lack of information to the public about deciding to pull out of the agreement.”

Manassas Park officials are still working out a plan on what to do next.

“We have not yet achieved an agreement and are continuing to negotiate. The views of our residents are important to us and their comments will be taken into consideration when negotiating,” penned Mayor Janet Rishell in an email to Potomac Local.

In nearby Manassas, leaders there have told us they will have a new plan in place by June 30, the end of the fiscal year. That could mean separating from the county, or inking a new deal with the county system.

Residents of both Manassas and Manassas Park use Central Library on Mathis Avenue in Manassas. It temporarily closed yesterday for six months for renovations, as crews will make the library more ADA compliant, as well as move the Ruth E. Lloyd Information Center (RELIC) from nearby Bull Run Library to Central.

A total of 124 people have responded to the Manassas Park survey so far, but only 103 went past the first question, and not all of them fully completed the survey, with at least 78 respondents answering the majority of the questions, explained Jerry Swisher, a city employee.

A total of 86% of the respondents were Manassas Park residents, and 91% of the respondents had library cards for the Prince William Library system. A total of 25% of the respondents said they visit the library between 21-50 times a year, while 23% visit over 50 times a year.

Respondents said they mainly go to the library to borrow books, but using the children’s library and borrowing CDs, videos, or audiotapes were the next top choices.

A total of 50% of respondents said they have been using the library’s online services for more than four years.

When asked how important having a physical library as a community service in the City of Manassas Park was, on a scale of 1-10, the average response was seven.

A total of 31% of respondents said that members of their household had visited the library for programs 1-6 times in the last year. Children’s storytime ranked as the program with the highest interest, followed by craft classes and then STEM programming for children and teens (ages 0-17).

Peter and Michelle Fisher tied the knot on December 13 at a private ceremony at the Prince William County Courthouse in Manassas.

The couple then honeymooned at a rather unusual location: two of the Habitat for Humanity Prince William County ReStore locations.

“…We went to Habitat for a Habitat honeymoon,” Michelle told me. The couple visited both the Manassas and Woodbridge locations on their Habitat honeymoon.

Michelle runs a property management and restoration business, “Serenity Homes and Solutions,” which often takes her to Habitat for Humanity to scout for furniture. Peter often accompanies her to help get furniture and move it into her clients’ homes, so the setting for a honeymoon made perfect sense for the couple.

“…it’s kind of our thing,” Michelle told me.

Peter has been in the Manassas area for over eight years, and Michelle has been here for one year.

Michelle says she always liked doing crafts and “Pinterest stuff,” and had always wanted to get started in the rental business. She moved to the Baltimore area, drawn there due to its high levels of poverty and people who needed help, she said.

Michelle soon fell in love with the idea of helping families who need help. Now, “…it’s like we have an extended family out there.” Michelle said about the Baltimore area.

For Michelle, it’s not all about rentals. If any of her clients need help with a birthday party, Michelle and Pater bring a shaved ice and popcorn maker to help the celebration.

“It’s just really fun and I love it,” Michelle said.

Peter has a fulltime job at the Department of Defense and helps Michelle with her work on the weekends.

Michelle and Peter had been friends for about 10 years, and their relationship “just kind of blossomed,” Michelle said.
The couple eloped due to “The stress of the idea [of a wedding],” Michelle said. They plan to have a church ceremony eventually.

So on a rainy Friday, the couple went up to the courthouse with no guests and tied the knot. “We kinda giggled,” Michelle said.
Peter had just proposed the Friday before.

The honeymoon afterward? That was “spur of the moment,” Michelle said.

Through their dating, they would always look at things for houses to help families – Michelle said a lot of her clients are low income. So, she and Peter would go to thrift stores, Habitat for Humanity stores, and loading docks to look for furniture.

So right after their courthouse wedding, Michelle said, “I think we need to go to Habitat.”

“It’s our thing to do,” Michelle said. She said she and Peter had recently helped get a family into a property that didn’t have anything, so they provided them with items from Habitat for Humanity.

“That’s us at our core- helping the families in Baltimore,” Michelle said.

City officials continue their push for donations for a Jennie Deane bronze memorial statue.

Manassas Councilwoman Michelle Davis-Younger said the city has raised $129,000 in the effort to revitalize Jennie Dean Memorial Park, outside the elementary school of the same name on Wellington Road. A total of $175,000 is needed for the project.

A statue of Dean was originally slated to be installed last year if the project met its fundraising goals, marking the 126th anniversary of post-Civil War industrial school that Dean founded for African-Americans in what today is Manassas City, in 1893. Born into slavery in 1852, Dean is remembered for championing education for black Prince William County residents in the dark times following the Civil War.

The city council opened the first phase of the Jennie Dean memorial in 1995. Now, 25 years later, the city plans to update the memorial that marks the location of the old industrial school with new landscaping, and an amphitheater for shows and events.

At the entrance of the updated memorial will stand a bronze statue of Dean created by artist Chris Hill, whose other works include a statue of a 7-foot tall statue of Harriet Tubman and a bust of former Washington, D.C. Mayor Marion Barry.

Statement from Hill dated June 1, 2018 | Jennie Dean was, above all, an altruist determined to elevate the welfare of her people through education, faith and tradesman ship. In order to convey this, I have designed Jennie Dean with an outstretched hand reaching towards viewers, as if inviting to lift them up.

Her forward leg is bracing for the viewer to take her hand. She is bent slightly at the waist in order to lower her hand within reach. Her hand will be approximately eye level with the viewer. Her left arm is outstretched, forming a clear line between the head, the heart, and the hand. These are the three parts of the body Jennie Dean had wished to strengthen through academic education, participation in faith services, and training in trade and industry.

Over time, I hope that people will take her hand and wear away its patina. When this hand begins to polish and shine, it will reflect the engagement Jennie Dean continues to inspire in the community.

Donations for the updated park and statue are being accepted online.

Prince William County leaders have heard enough.

They and decided the Board of County Supervisors won’t hold a meeting on January 21 to take up the topic of gun control and mental health.

With a motion by Neabsco District Supervisor Victor Angry and seconded by Brenstsville District Supervisor Jeanine Lawson, the Board voted unanimously to table the resolution that urged lawmakers in Richmond to pass a red flag law and provide more money for mental health treatment.

The red flag law would allow a judge to temporarily remove a person’s rights to bear arms if the judge deemed the person was a threat to themselves or others. As for the mental health needs, many Prince William police officers, as well as law enforcement officers across the state are spending more of their working hours declining with cases of mental illness.

Authorities say it’s taking cops off the street and away from patrol duties.

The move comes just one week after a hotly contentious meeting at the Prince William Board of County Supervisors when the resolution was proposed. Hundreds of Second Amendment rights advocates packed what was the first meeting of the year for the Board and gave more than four hours of testimony, urging Supervisors not to pass the resolution.

It was not only the first meeting of the New Year but also under the leadership of Chair, At-large Ann Wheeler, who introduced the resolution.

“Last week was a very hot topic,” Angry said. “It was very challenging at times.”

Last month, the Prince William Board of County Supervisors under former Chairman At-large Corey Stewart passed a resolution declaring the Prince William a “constitutional” county where the right to bear arms would be protected as outlined in the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

The NRA is planning a lobbying day in Richmond on January 20 when tens of thousands are expected to descend onto the state capitol urging lawmakers to toss out bills introduced by Democrats vying for tougher gun restrictions.

At the capitol on Monday, four gun bills advanced in committee, such as the one-gun-per-month purchase limit, universal firearm background checks, and a red flag law that Prince William Supervisors were calling for.

Senate Bill 16, filed by Falls Church Senator Dick Saslaw, banning the sale and possession of assault rifles in the state was stricken from the record at the request of the senator.

Visitors to the Landing at Cannon Branch will need a place to park their cars once a new office building opens. A new lease approved Monday by the City Council will see to that.

The council approved a five-year lease with Buchanan Partners, so it can build 70 parking spaces on a piece of land that’s about the size of four-acres, where a new 20,000 square foot office and retail building is going up.

Buchanan will pay the city $10 a year for the property, and the parking spaces will be used by anyone who visits the development. In addition to retail and office space, the new development is also home to apartments and townhouses.

The development is designed with shared parking in mind, so visitors to the retail and offices will share parking. A new two-story parking garage is also slated to be built at the site in the future, as part of the development’s long-term plan. It could possibly replace the city-owned building that, until last year, housed a Virginia DMV office, said city economic development director Patrick Small.

The city chose not to sell the property outright to be used for parking, added Small.

A new Tru by Hilton Home 2 Suites hotel will also open at the site and it will have it’s own parking lot with enough spaces to accommodate its guests.

Buchanan Partners started the Landing at Cannon Branch development in 2015. It’s located at the intersection of Godwin Drive and Gateway Boulevard.

The project was going to be anchored by a new Heritage Brewery and distribution center. Plans for the brewery fell apart about a year ago.

Richard “Dale” Sword was found dead in a house in Manassas on Thursday, November 14. According to Sgt. Gio Barahona from Manassas police, Sword was found in a vacant house in the 1000 block of Dumfries Road.

While the autopsy for the cause of death is still underway, according to Barahona, Sword, who was homeless, was exposed to record-breaking cold the night before he was found dead. Temperatures dropped to 19 degrees on November 13, according to National Weather Service records.

“Our ministry served Dale for the past two and a half years, as he experienced homelessness. We will miss his smile and kind heart very deeply,” states Manassas Hunger & Homeless Outreach Ministries on its Facebook page. “Dale was always positive, polite, warm and loving. He will be missed by all of us whose lives he touched.”

The region has several shelters, according to Prince William County spokesman Jason Grant. In all, there are five shelters for a total of 204 beds in Prince William County, Manassas, and Manassas Park. These are:

Shelters serving singles and families:  

• Hilda Barg
• Beverly Warren
• SERVE

Domestic Violence Shelter serving singles and families:

• Turning Points

There are also two hypothermia shelters, for an additional 32 beds.

• Additional 12 beds at the Overnight Shelter (Based on 32 degrees or lower)
• Additional 20 beds at Manassas Baptist Church (Based on 27 degrees or lower)

Grant said that most of the emergency shelters are at full capacity even in warm weather. 

The Manassas Baptist Church in Manassas has a hypothermia shelter for anytime the temperature drops below freezing. It was open the night before Sword was found.

Jay Sharpe runs the Manassas Hope for the Homeless at the Manassas Baptist Church on Sudley Road. It has a Hypothermia Shelter open on select nights during the winter, but the church can’t be open every day due to limited space.

Sharpe said they open if the windchill factor brings the temperature down below 28 degrees or if the air temperature drops to  25 degrees or lower.

When it’s that cold, the shelter sees about 10 to 12 people. When it’s in the teens and single digits, “We pretty much got a full house,” Sharpe said. Sharpe added that they provide a shower, a hot meal, and conversation when the hypothermia shelter is open.

Sharpe pointed out that some homeless people don’t want to come into a hypothermia shelter unless it is brutally cold because they are reluctant to leave their spot and are worried their things will get taken while they’re gone.

Despite that reluctance, Sharpe said that “When the temperatures get cold enough, they rethink their situation,” he told me, noting that when temperatures dip below 20 degrees is when people start to come in.

The shelter served over 54 homeless last year, Sharpe said, and the shelter can house up to 30 people- 20 men in the main area and 10 women in the back area, Sharpe explained.

They’ve been open for four days so far this winter. “We always need more volunteers,” Sharpe said.

For that, they turn to local governments for help.

“Some of the local churches in the city open warming centers and if they let us know we definitely help spread the word,” said Manassas spokeswoman Patty Prince.

Manassas provides funding to the SERVE shelter located on Dean Drive, Prince explained.

According to Grant at Prince William County, the county offers many services for the homeless, including mental health and substance abuse services, rapid rehousing for those who have been evicted, and employment programs. 

Grant told me that if someone is at risk of becoming homeless or is homeless, call Prince William County’s Coordinated Entry Services Program at 703-792-3366.

The program is a part of The Prince William Area Continuum of Care – a group made up of charities, churches, and governments- and provides services and housing to those facing homelessness.

Manassas residents lined up to speak in favor of Carmello’s and Mozna, two restaurants of the same owner in Downtown Manassas that came under fire late last month for improvements it made to its building.

A petition with at least 300 signatures of city residents was presented to the city council on December 9. It urged leaders to reverse the council’s decision to require the restaurant to change the color of its brick facade on the front of the restaurant from a Mediterianian-style white to red brick, to match the other buildings in the downtown area.

The owner of the restaurants, Alice Perez, has until the end of the month to remove the white brick, black shutters, and chair railing along the wall — all of which go against the city’s strict design standards — or face fines imposed by the city.

“It’s nothing personal, it’s just business,” said Kate Finley, of Gainesville, whose husband is a shop owner in Manassas. “But everything about this should be personal.” 

It’s the small businesses that provide a personal connection to visitors that make people want to come back, she added. 

Other residents argued the city should have reached a compromise similar to the one Councilwoman Theresa Coates Ellis suggested, which would have allowed the restaurant to keep the white brick in exchange for removing the chair railing.

Others said that Perez — whose been in business at the same location since the late 1980s — has contributed much to the town, including appearing on local TV stations to promote the restaurant and city events like its monthly First Friday celebrations.

Many compared the facade upgrades at Carmello’s and Monza to the coming Battle Street Bistro, which will be located across the street from Monza and will be the first restaurant in the downtown area with a rooftop terrace. Multiple speakers said plans appear to show it will also have a new, more modern design.

The city council’s vote upheld an earlier ruling from the city’s Architectural Review Board that also ordered Perez to replace the white brick with red.