With the holidays comes a reminder from Stafford County to store, not to pour household fats, oils, and grease down the drain.

A new 30-second commercial produced by the county government’s communications office reminds residents about the proper disposal of “FOGs” to keep them from clogging up county pipes and sewers.

The commercial, reminiscent of 1950s instructional films, can be seen on YouTube and set-top streaming media players like Roku and the county’s website.

In the back-and-white commercial, a woman cooks bacon in a household setting while 1950s style pop music plays in the background. She’s about to pour the leftover bacon grease down the drain when a disembodied voice reminds her to use a jar instead to contain the oil.

The county launches its FOGs program in November 2019 to influence Stafford County residents to dispose of their fats, oils, and grease in ways other than pouring them down the drain. Over the years, FOGs have caused significant damage by clogging the county’s water pipes.

In 2018, the county saw 13 sanitary sewer overflows and 191 recorded sewer-main backups. Authorities attributed about 50 percent of those to FOG backups in the sewer systems. The removal of FOGs in that same time cost Stafford an estimated $1.6 million.

According to the county, Stafford’s sewer system serves 35,000 residents. The annual maintenance and pump-out cost are over $1.6 million, meaning that additional complications from FOGs could easily double the county’s sewer infrastructure maintenance cost.

Since its inception, Stafford has conducted multiple campaigns across social media and provided informational flyers to get its message across to residents. The #canyourgrease campaign was once such an endeavor that made its way across platforms such as Facebook and Twitter. Officials briefly halted the campaign in 2020 during the coronavirus pandemic.

The county encourages residents to store FOGs in a heat-proof container such as jars or cans and then take them to the Regional Landfill at 489 Eskimo Hill Road or the Belman Road Recycling Center at 1200 Belman Road in Fredericksburg.

Ed Wallis, the manager of operations for the Stafford County Regional Airport, will retire after 20 years at the airport.

Wallis received a commendation from the Stafford County Board of Supervisors for his work with the airport, returning to 2001. In that time, Wallis served in many positions, including contract maintenance, operations specialist, and operations technician. Wallis served as interim airport manager of operations before achieving the post permanently.

Under Wallis, the airport earned the “Providing the Gateway to the National Capital Region” tagline.

“Being the airport manager entails so much more than just sitting behind a desk,” said Rock Hill Supervisor Crystal Vaunch. “Ed has been very active in every phase of the airport’s operation from planning the terminal to minor tasks around the airport.”

Wallis has been a presence at the regional airport for many of its watershed moments. The highest among them has been the extension of the airport’s runway, which is currently under construction. The runway will be extended by 1,000 feet, taking it from 5,000 to 6,000 feet long.

Wallis also oversaw the transition of the airport’s terminal, which occurred in 2014. The terminal was previously a triple-wide trailer replaced by a 10,000 square foot building. At the time, officials lauded its completion, coming in at $300,000 under its original budget.

Wallis was also instrumental in working with the Computer Science Corporation to host shows dedicated to exhibiting military, first responder, and law enforcement equipment. According to the commendation, those shows that occurred in 2007, 2009, and 2011 were the most significant shows on the east coast and generated millions of dollars for the local economy.

Stafford County Regional Airport opened on Dec. 11, 2001, and was the eighth airport opened in the United States in the preceding 20 years and the latest airport to be opened in Virginia. According to a Virginia Department of Aviation study, Stafford ranks eighth in the state for revenue generation.

Wallis will retire on January 5, 2022. He will be replaced as airport manager by James Stover.

The Stafford County Board of Supervisors established the Lake Arrowhead Service District Advisory Committee.

This panel will facilitate communication and coordination between the residents of the Lake Arrowhead community in western Stafford County and the county government. County officials will accept online applications from residents who want to serve on the commission.

The Stafford County Board of Supervisors established the service district was February 2017 at the request of a majority of the residents. According to county documents, over 50 of the subdivisions’ property owners made the initial request for the service district formation to manage and fund the repair of two dams lake dams.

The community lacks a homeowners association, and the dams fell into a state of disrepair.

County officials implemented a new tax for residents in the service district to fund the repairs. The county had recommended removing the dams and draining two lakes, critical water sources for the county fire department, before Supervisors voted to create the new tax district.

Today, the community is repaying a $700,000 loan over 10 years, used to fix the dams. Annual property tax bills sent to Lake Arrowhead residents reflect the increased tax used for the loan repayment.

According to its by-laws, members of the new advisory will include community residents and County staff. Rock Hill District Supervisor Crystal Vanuch can recommend the residents since the Lake Arrowhead community sits within those borders. The county Board of Supervisors will have the final say over who sits on the panel.

The county staff members would be on the committee to help facilitate communication between the committee and the board. The board plans to appoint members to the committee at an annual organizational meeting in January 2022.

The Central Rappahannock Regional Library System continues to expand its online offerings to help customers with a wide array of needs.

Library Director Martha Hutzel delivered the news covering September and November to the Stafford County Board of Supervisors on December 14. The report outlines the efforts made by the library system to offer online assistance in areas such as workforce, tutoring, and business and entrepreneurial development.

Beginning September 1, the system launched a new online service called Help Now, a live tutoring and study resource by the Library of Virginia, through the Brainfuse platform.

According to the report, 249 customers have used the service since its launch and used many of its services for test preparation, homework help, writing, and skills building. The service continues to build on previous efforts by the library system, which recently digitized its resources allowing for easy access and offering a more comprehensive range of subjects in different languages.

CRRL has also launched many workforce development programs designed to help veterans and civilians improve their skills to find employment. Offered by the Brainfuse platform, the library has established VetNow and JobNow to help former members of the military and civilians by providing several online job-search resources.

These resources include online job coaching, interview tips, live training and tutoring, access to community resources, and assistance with benefits.

CRRL also offers similar resources through LinkedIn’s learning program, which offers open online business, software, and creative skills courses. The library intends the classes to help prospective employees develop their skills to advance in the workforce.

CRRL can also allow customers to access business and entrepreneurial development resources with platforms such as Data Axel, The Entrepreneurial Learning Initiative, and Gale.

Date Axel is a platform that helps to build and manage marketing and analytic databases for budding entrepreneurs. The platform offers online support to maintain and advise those databases.

The Entrepreneurial Learning Initiative and Gale offer online courses and content to learn how to run a business and other aspects such as filing taxes, human resources, marketing, and management.

All these resources are available for customers with a current library card with CRRL.

[Updated] The Manassas City Council was shown a preview of a plan for a new townhouse development that raised many questions.

During a work session meeting earlier this month, Greenway Engineering gave the council a presentation proposing a 24-unit townhome project located between Lee and Wall Streets in what the city considers to be its downtown sector.

About five homes dot Wall Street, some dating back to the the first half of the 20th century. A catering business sits on Lee Court, while Bull Run Harley Davidson sits one block east.

Jessica Pfeiffer and Jose DeSilva, Greenway’s lawyer and architect, respectively, provided the presentation to preview what the council could expect from the project before the firm filed a rezoning application.

The project would consist of 24 new townhomes on nearly two acres, taking up three parcels of land. The townhomes would 128 feet tall, each with four bedrooms. The homes would come with garage parking and driveways to park additional vehicles.

Pfeiffer told the council that environmental impact and technical reviews would be forthcoming. The firm would need to win a rezoning decision from the City Council, changing the land-use designation from industrial to residential. According to Councilman Mark Wolfe, industrial space is at a premium in the city.

Members of the council had many questions regarding the issues that have plagued similar past projects. One major issue was parking. The plans for the project showed no parking spaces beyond the garages and driveways. Greenway’s representatives intended that the driveways serve as visitor parking, but the council members were skeptical of that proposal.

Wolfe stated that forcing homeowners to make their driveways available for visitor parking would be unsound.

Another issue brought up by council members was the townhomes. Manassas seeks ways to provide affordable housing for residents, including options of all shapes and sizes, said Councilman Tom Osina. He questioned why townhomes were the only option considered.

Osina also took Greenway to task when they couldn’t give a set price on the cost of the homes. Pfeiffer did provide an estimate of about $600,000 per house. Pfeiffer couldn’t say what the price of the units would be in 18 months once the project was completed.

Greenway expects to file a rezoning application this month. Afterward, the City Council will then have an official look at the project on January 10.

Correction: An earlier version of this story listed an incorrect height for the town homes.

Stafford County Supervisors established a stormwater management fund and a corresponding grant program to dole out money to applicants.

On Tuesday, December 14, the Board of Supervisors authorized $100,000 from the Fiscal Year 2022 budget for the Neighborhood Stormwater Infrastructure Grant program to respond to existing and potential issues involving stormwater infrastructure in area neighborhoods.

The funds would be used for a wide array of subjects regarding stormwater infrastructure, including studies, repairs, maintenance, best management practices, etc. Areas of Stafford such as Brooke Road have experienced ongoing issues with flooding.

During the meeting, Griffis-Widewater District Supervisor Tinesha Allen suggested the fund should be doubled to $200,000 because of the importance of stormwater management. Supervisors could choose to increase the funding for the project at a later date, county officials said.

Jeff Adams, a member of the county’s agriculture committee representing the Hartwood District, suggested the Board look into getting funding from the Virginia Conservation Assistance Program, provided by the Virginia Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts.

The program is similar in function to the county’s newly established program, which offers financial assistance to areas across the state that are attempting to address issues such as soil erosion and poor drainage.

The county is currently taking grant applications from neighborhoods to the program and will review them for potential approval.

Meanwhile, Supervisors also voted on December 14 unanimously to give the county administrator Fred Pressley authority to remove vehicles drivers have left on county-owned property, including cars that have been temporarily parked or abandoned.

County officials say there’s been an uptick in illegal parking in areas such as Aquia Landing on the Potomac River and Historic Port of Falmouth Park on the Rappahannock River but didn’t have the authority to solve the issue.

Until now, the only body with authority to remove illegally parked vehicles was the Stafford County Sheriff’s Office. Supervisors made the change hoping that it could save time and resources for the sheriff’s department.

Various committees discussed both subjects throughout the fall, making final decisions in relatively brief hearings.

Residents weighed in on the coming sixth county high school for the first time.

Stafford County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Thomas Taylor invited residents to Colonial Forge High School in North Stafford to get some ideas regarding how designers should layout the new high school, the county sixth.

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The Stafford County Board of Supervisors has approved an alternative design to improve pedestrian and bike paths on Leeland Road.

With a green light, the Virginia Department of Transportation will improve pedestrian access in the Falmouth neighborhood, adding pedestrian and bike paths between Walnut Drive and the Leeland Road Virginia Railway Express station.

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Fredericksburg's Fun Land amusement park will expand its operations over the next two years.

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