County government staff presented the findings of the community survey regarding the livability of the county. Conducted by the National Survey Center at Polco, it was developed by asking county residents about livability through 10 facets and based the results on the opinions given by those residents.
The sample group gave a positive review of 75 percent for safety. Three out of four residents gave Stafford excellent ratings as a place to live and raise children. Further, seven of 10 residents said that they would recommend the county as a good place to live and an area where they would plan to remain for the next five years.
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The Manassas Park City Library is moving to its new home in the recently redeveloped Park Center.
The library will move to 100 Park Central Plaza, from its Blooms Park location, at 9701 Manassas Drive, which has served as a transitory home since it opened in 2020. The new library location in the heart of Manassas Park will share a building with the Manassas Park Governing Body and the recently opened Jirani Coffeehouse, which is slated to open in 2023.
"The new Park Central library will be one of the most important elements of our new downtown. It will not only serve our community with full library services but will become a destination place for our downtown along with the co-located Jirani Coffeehouse, our new plaza with splash pad, and the future Cinema Cafe across the street," said Manassas Park City Manager Laszlo Palko in a release.
The Blooms Park location will close at 5 p.m. on June 18 and will reopen in its new location at 10 a.m. on August 22. The library plans to make temporary programs and pop-up services available to customers at the Manassas Park Community Center between June and July.
The new Park Central library location is the latest piece of the puzzle in Manassas Park's development of its downtown area.
Potomac Local News recently reported on an agreement made in May between Jirani Coffeehouse and the governing body for a 10-year lease for a new coffee shop on the first floor of the still under construction Park Central building.
Jirani has become a staple in the area since opening its first location in nearby Manassas in 2016. The cafe has become a staple of the city's downtown scene hosting live music, improv comedy shows, and even playing host to international TV crews during the 2016 Presidential election.
The Governing Body also approved a lease in January with Cinema Cafe, which will be located across the street from the Park Central building. The location will be the theater chain's first location in the Northern Virginia area and will act as an anchor to the downtown development.
Cinema Cafe will have similar food and drink offerings to Alamo Cinema and Drafthouse chain theater which has its own Northern Virginia location in Woodbridge. The new Cinema Cafe location is slated to open in 2024.
For more information on its move and upcoming summer programs, visit manassasparkcitylibrary.org.
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The county documents state that Prince William County does not need to review plans for a coal ash landfill at Possum Pont.
A proposed landfill at Possum Point Power Station near Dumfries is exempt from a public facility review.
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Since 2009 Congressman Gerry Connolly (D-VA) has represented the 11th congressional district which included Prince William County and Fairfax County. Connolly has been in the seat through the district's growth as well as its trying times such as the aftereffects of the 2008 recession and the recent coronavirus pandemic.
With the recent redrawing of the 11th district, Prince William County is no longer within Connolly's purview and has become part of the seventh congressional district which is now within the 7th and 10th congressional districts, represented by Abigail Spanberger (D) and Jennifer Wexton (D).
Voters will head to the polls on Tuesday, November 8 to vote for who will fill these seats for the next two years.
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The Fredericksburg City Council will consolidate its conflicting rules on dog kennels to allow them within the city.
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The show will be held as a benefit for Empowerhouse, a nonprofit that supports survivors of domestic violence. The nonprofit operates in Fredericksburg and Stafford, Spotsylvania, King George, and Caroline counties.
The CNEW seeks to collect clothing and accessories from local stores and boutiques in Fredericksburg to raise money that will go to funding Empowerhouse.
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The Stafford County Board of Supervisors is considering holding off the land acquisition needed for an emergency access road for Brooke Road until the summer.
The county has been planning to create the access road as a means of travel when Brooke Road gets washed out by floodwater from Accokeek Creek. The plan requires the creation of a road that would connect Windermere Drive and Crestwood Lane.
Much of the area required for the road is private property and would require the county to acquire the land from its owners.
The reason given for this pause on the project came from a presentation made earlier in the meeting by Kyle Bates, the residency administrator for the Virginia Department of Transportation. Bates laid out recent improvements that were made to the s-curve in Brooke Road, between Raven Road and Maplewood Drive.
According to Bates, VDOT has replaced drainage pipes and installed a well with a pump to remove water from the roadside ditch without interfering with traffic. The pavement was also overlaid with asphalt to raise the road surface six inches.
While these improvements aren't expected to fix the problem permanently, Board members, especially Aquia District Supervisor Monica Gary, who campaigned on the issue last year, want to see if the new maintenance will show results in alleviating the worst issues that would require the access drive. VDOT reported that the improvements held up well against last week's rains, and the road didn't have to be closed.
According to county documents, the emergency access path on Brooke Road will cost over $1.5 million. The county would be reimbursed for some of the construction costs by VDOT to the tune of $750,000. This is separate from the main project that raises the S-curve by five feet which would prevent the road from getting washed out by the floodwaters.
The S-curve raising project will cost $7.5 million, with all funding coming from the county. Stafford County is seeking $4.8 million in grant funding from FEMA to offset costs. Richmond-based Timmons Group has been commissioned by the county to design the elevated S-curve. The whole project is estimated to be completed in five years.
The constant flooding of Brooke Road has been a source of aggravation for the county, which cuts off 450 households when the road is closed to traffic and leaves those residents with no way in or out of the area. Brooke Road has been closed 18 times over the last four years due to flooding. The worst came in 2020 when it was closed eight times.
The county anticipates that once the land acquisition is needed for the emergency road is complete, construction will begin in Spring 2023 and be finished by the end of 2023.
The sensory bags for patients with autism contain an array of different items to use when patients are having a stressful sensory issue. Things such as marbles in mesh, squeeze balls, a flipper chain, and a Rubik's Cube are among the kits' sensory tools.
The idea to begin carrying these unique resources has been discussed by members in the past few years. Firefighter/Paramedic Lt. Matt Kodicek created Ben's Blue Bags from the City of Crown Point Fire Rescue in Crown Point, Ind. He was inspired to start the nonprofit in honor of his son, Ben, who is autistic.
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The Republican Party of Virginia held a forum in Fredericksburg for candidates seeking the party's nomination to run for the seat of the 7th Congressional district. Held at the Dorothy Hart Community Center in Downtown Fredericksburg, residents heard from the candidates who were asked questions that ranged from issues such as inflation, the economy, and security at the southern border.
They also talked about foreign policy, which included the U.S. rushed departure from Afghanistan after 20 years, and the current conflict between Ukraine and Russia.
The 7th Congressional District includes Prince William, Spotsylvania, and Stafford counties, and Fredericksburg. Abigail Spanberger (D) has represented the District since 2018 and is running to keep her seat in the November 8
