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.
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.
The newly revised ordinance will allow dog kennels to operate in Fredericksburg but will not be allowed to operate in residential zones or transitional or downtown commercial zoning districts. A particular use permit would be required for kennels that would seek to operate in commercial shopping districts.
The ordinance also requires kennel operators to insulate the kennel so no sound or odor could escape, and any open pens or runs would have to be at least 75 feet away from a property line. The kennels could also include retail and grooming services. Those services could only make up a quarter of the total gross floor area of the building from which the kennel operates.
Before the consolidation, the city’s code had two differing ordinances regarding dog kennels. The more recent ordinance came about due to the Unified Development Ordinance. Adopted by Fredericksburg in December 2013, the UDO sought to create more transparent and more straightforward land-use regulations and review processes by merging the city’s zoning and subdivision ordinances.
According to the UDO, the ordinance allows kennels to operate in several zoning districts, including industrial, commercial, and creative maker zones.
The city council adopted this particular ordinance in 1997. It had been periodically enforced by the Fredericksburg Police Department or by Animal Control when it was determined that a home had too many dogs and created noise, health, and sanitation issues in residential areas. However, the ordinance conflicted with an earlier ordinance prohibiting dog kennels from operating anywhere in the city.
According to information provided by the city, Fredericksburg could expect to see an increase in money generated due to the retention and expansion of pet care services in the city. The information references a report from the U.S. Census Bureau, which stated that such steps resulted in a 60% increase in pet care establishments between 2007 and 2017, which resulted in a doubling of revenue to $5.8 billion.
Stafford County is also looking into updating its comprehensive zoning ordinance. An amendment was made to the ordinance in 2019, allowing commercial kennels to operate in agricultural zoned districts.
The Fredericksburg City Council will have a final read of the revised ordinance at its next meeting on June 14.
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.
Empowerhouse was originally founded in 1978 as the Rappahannock Council on Domestic Violence before changing to its current name in 2012. Empowerhouse is a 24-hour, 7-day-a-week crisis and core domestic violence services organization providing support such as hotlines and shelter to survivors of domestic violence and their children with free and confidential services.
The event will occur on Thursday, June 9, from 5 to 7 p.m. at the A. Smith Bowman Distillery at 1 Bowman Drive in Fredericksburg.
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.
Kodicek shared, “According to a 2018 CDC study, approximately one in 59 children are diagnosed with ASD. A common factor is that they have some sensory process disorder. Many first responders carry Items like stickers and stuffed animals in their vehicles. While these items might have been appropriate years ago, today’s times call for different measures.”
Kodicek presented two training sessions, open to both OWL VFD members and Prince William County Fire and Rescue Services personnel who staff those units.
During the classes, he explained that having a son with autism made him recognize the need to spread awareness about ASD and provide first responders with resources to use while treating patients with autism.
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
The candidates seeking the nomination included Derrick Anderson, a lawyer and former Green Beret from Spotsylvania County; Gina Ciarcia, an educator from Prince William County; David Ross, a retired U.S. Marine and current member of the Spotsylvania County Board of Supervisors representing the Courtland District, Crystal Vanuch, a local Stafford County business owner and the current chair of the Stafford County Board of Supervisors, and Yesli Vega, a reserve law enforcement officer and current member of the Prince William County Board of Supervisors representing the Coles District.
Virginia State Senator Bryce Reeves (R-Orange, Gordonsville), who’s also seeking the nomination, was attending the National Conference of State Legislators in Seattle. Reeves serves as the co-chairman of the conference’s Military and Veterans Task Force.
Each candidate was given two minutes for opening remarks, then was asked questions on several issues, and finally made closing remarks at the end of the forum. The format didn’t allow for debate between the candidates unless they felt they were singled out on an issue by another candidate.
None of the candidates debated. RPV Chairman Rich Anderson moderated the forum.
Patricia Lyman, the National Committeewoman representing Virginia on the Republican National Committee, was at the forum. Lyman spoke to PLN regarding the event and the aspirant candidates.
“This was the first RPV sponsored forum that we’ve had; what was so obvious was the embarrassment of riches that we have. We have a half-dozen very, very qualified congressional candidates, and all of them understand that the number one qualification to win this nomination is to be the person that can defeat Abigail Spanberger,” said Lyman. “Every single person on that stage is committed to stopping Spanberger from so severely harming the citizens of the seventh district as she has for the past four years. So I know we have, currently running in the primary, the right person to beat her.”
The Republican Party primary is scheduled to be held on June 21, all candidates running for the party’s nomination will be on the ballot.
During the forum, the RPV took a straw poll of the audience to see which candidate they favored. Vega took the top spot with 56% of the vote, followed by Reeves with 18%, and Ciarcia with 10%.
Straw poll results from our #VA07 Candidate’s Forum last night! pic.twitter.com/zLmBlfEPJo
— Virginia GOP (@VA_GOP) May 19, 2022
