STAFFORD — Fire and rescue officials in Stafford County rolled out new ambulances this week. 

The total cost was $841,784 ($280,594.67 each), we’re told.

From a press release: 

Stafford County Fire and Rescue placed three new 2017 Horton ambulances in service this week. The new units have been assigned to Falmouth Station 1, Stafford Station 2, and Potomac Hills Station 10 as advanced life support units.

Each of the three units is equipped with a new stretcher and lift system, designed to ease patient loading and unloading into the unit and reduce the possibility of injury to first responders. “The Stryker Power-LOAD system enhances safety by supporting the stretcher during the loading and unloading process. This also reduces the strain on the backs and legs of our staff which helps prevent repetitive lifting injuries.” Chief Lockhart explained. In addition to the three new units being equipped with the system, four current units are being retro-fitted with the same system.

Lockhart said the current units are being rotated to other stations to continue their service life. Under a proposed fleet rotation system, vehicles in the Fire and Rescue fleet will rotate based on established criteria to ensure maximum service life and prevent excessive mileage in a short period of time.

From a press release: 

The Stafford County Sheriff’s Office is searching for a suspect in connection with a driveway repair scam that occurred in early September. Irvin Grady, 61, is wanted for allegedly obtaining money by false pretenses from an elderly woman at her home in the Falmouth area.

On September 9, 2017 at approximately 11:30am, a deputy was dispatched to the home of a 73-year-old woman who said Grady came to her door on September 4, 2017 at approximately 1:00pm and asked if she wanted her driveway resealed. She requested an estimate, and Grady told her he could not give her one because he did not know the cost of materials. She agreed to have the work done.

Grady returned on September 5, 2017 at 11:30 am and began working. He finished around 1:30pm and told the victim it would cost $4800. She signed a contract, which she never received a copy of, and was given a business card for Black Top Plus Paving and Sealing. She wrote a check to Grady, who told her to make it out to him and not the company, and he cashed it on September 6, 2017.

The deputy said he observed a number of cracks in the driveway and it appeared to be spray-painted.

The resident called the owner of the company, Delmer Grady Jr., to see if they would refund some of the money or fix the job. Delmer informed her that Irvin does not work for the company and that he had been attempting to do business under his company name for the past two years.

Delmer told a detective with the Stafford County Sheriff’s Office that Irvin is his uncle and he had never been employed by Delmer.  

On September 21, 2017, warrants charging Irvin Grady with Obtaining Money by False Pretenses and Impersonating a Contractor were obtained along with a summons charging Soliciting Without a Permit. Grady’s location is unknown and Extradition East of the Mississippi was requested.

Headed to Fredericksburg overnight Thursday? 

From a press release: 

The Interstate 95 southbound exit ramp to Route 3 westbound at Exit 130B in Fredericksburg will be closed for several hours early Thursday morning to allow crews to remove overhead signs.

The ramp will be closed from midnight to 3 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 5.

I-95 southbound traffic seeking to access Route 3 westbound will be detoured to Exit 130A to Route 3 eastbound, then directed to make a U-turn at Gateway Boulevard to Route 3 westbound. The ramp will reopen at 3 a.m. Thursday.

A single lane will remain closed on the exit ramp through 4:30 a.m. Thursday.

Message boards and additional signs will notify motorists of the detour and guide them along the alternate route.

Overhead signs are being removed as part of the ongoing I-95 Safety Improvements Project at Route 3. Additional lane closures are scheduled this week at the following dates and times:

Additional Lane Closures:

 

• Route 3 Westbound: Wednesday – Friday, 10 p.m. ?? 9 a.m.

   10 p.m. – one lane closed

   Midnight –7 a.m. – two lanes closed

   7 a.m. – 9 a.m. – one lane closed Thursday and Friday morning

Construction is underway to improve safety at the Exit 130 (Route 3) interchange in Fredericksburg.                                                          

This project will enhance safety by reducing vehicle merging and weaving that can lead to crashes, injuries and congestion on Route 3 and I-95.  These improvements are designed to lower the crash risk by eliminating conflict points where vehicles currently merge.

From a press release: 

The Stafford County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a report of vandalism involving a flag pole that flies a large Confederate flag on private property near Interstate 95 in the Falmouth area.  

On Sunday, October 1, 2017 at approximately 4:00pm, Deputy George Motley was called to the property and observed “take it down” and “racist” spray painted on the base of the pole. The rope used to hoist the flag was also damaged and rendered useless. It appears there may have been an attempt to remove the plaque on the pole that reads “Virginia.”

The landowner, Hubert Cash, informed the deputy that the pole is owned by the Virginia Flaggers organization and he had agreed to have the flag and pole on his property. The property line and pole itself feature a number of no-trespassing signs.  

Cash told the deputy he first noticed the damage at approximately 3:00pm that day and the last time he had seen the pole undamaged was on September 24, 2017. He said he is unaware of who caused the damage, but knows there are a lot of people who do not like the flag.

The flag and the 80-foot pole on which is attached has been at the center of a debate among Stafford County residents since the United the Right protest in Charlottesville on Aug. 12. 

Many residents have called on county officials to remove the flag or to pass new rules limiting the height of flagpoles in the county. 

Late last month, Stafford County Attorney Charles Shumate said the flag was on private property, was permitted by the county, and that the county’s Board of Supervisors had no right to forcibly remove the flag. Any restrictions on flagpoles, he added, would not apply to the flag as it would be grandfathered.

We reported this morning that a Stafford County woman also won approval from the county to erect a similar 80-foot flagpole on which, she says, she will erect a “Black Lives Matter” flag.

STAFFORD — The Mason-Dixon Cafe in Stafford is now open.

This marks the first time the restaurant has expanded to a second location. The company also operates a Mason-Dixon Cafe on Princess Anne Street in Downtown Fredericksburg.

The new Stafford cafe opened its doors at eight o’clock this morning. So far, it’s been steady.

“We didn’t announce a big grand opening because we wanted to ease into it,” said owner Kelly Hunt.

The Staford location offers breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It will not offer any specials for the first two weeks as cafe employees get used to the new customers, as well as the new restaurant, said Hunt.

Mason-Dixon Cafe in Stafford operates under the same hours as its Fredericksburg counterpart: 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, Saturday 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Sunday 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The menu is also the same.

Hunt told us this morning that she was excited about the new cafe opening.

“We’re rolling along,” she said.

Photo: Mary Davidson

STAFFORD — Susan Kosler has permission to erect an 80-foot flagpole at her south Stafford home.

Stafford County officials granted permission by issuing her a permit for the flagpole and its base (as seen above). 

Then, she’ll raise a Black Lives Matter flag atop on the pole. She wants the flag after Stafford County Attorney Charles Shumate declared last week the Board of Supervisors had no authority to demand a private property owner to lower his 80-foot flag pole, easily seen over Interstate 95, flying a Confederate battle flag.

“It’s definitely going to be large,” said Kosler.

She calls it the “freedom pole,” and, through a Go-Fund Me account, she’s raising the required $10,000 she’ll need to purchase and erect the flagpole. When she has the cash, the pole will rise in her suburban neighborhood lined with single-family homes in Ferry Farm, just off Route 3.

She say’s she’s not received any complaints from neighbors about her intention to raise the flag in her “very quiet neighborhood” in Ferry Farm. Kolson expects the flag will be seen across the Rappahannock River by those strolling down Caroline Street in Downtown Fredericksburg.

The Confederate battle flag received the attention of county residents in the weeks after the Aug. 12 “Unite the Right” protests in Charlottesville, and was erected in 2014.

Kolson said that if that flag were to come down tomorrow, and stay down, she would still move forward with plans to raise the Black Lives Matter flag.

“I am white, and my daughter is black,” said Kolson. “The flag will be a symbol that African-Americans are safe and welcomed in our community.”

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We spoke with Stafford County Transportation Project Manager Alex Owsiak this week, and he told us the new eastbound lanes of Route 610 in North Stafford opened to traffic.

The new lanes carry drivers past Eustace Road and are part of a $13 million project to widen the portion of Route 610 between Eustace and Onville roads.

When complete, Route 610 will be six lanes — three westbound and three eastbound lanes — between Eustace and Onville, widening it from four lanes.

There’s also The Garrison, a new commercial development that will feature a new Regal Cinemas, and it’s located in the area where the road widening is underway.

The widening project should be complete by October 2018. Most of the lane closures for the project take place between 8 p.m. and 5 a.m. during off-peak travel times.

As part of the project, crews had to relocate utility lines and install new stormwater drainage.

Photo: Mary Davidson

Dan's Wellness Pharmacy of Stafford will be celebrating it's 10 year anniversary this Saturday, September 30th from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. There will be free food, a raffle to win one of two smart TVs, face painting, a chiropractor, and a vascular health check.

Dan Singh wants to show his appreciation for his customers "First, I'd like to thank Stafford County and the local community for supporting me for the last 10 years, and making my pharmacy a success."  

He also would like people to know that the neighborhood pharmacy offers medical and home health care supplies, a drive-through service window, and home delivery service. 

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STAFFORD — An extension of the Interstate 95 E-ZPass Express Lanes could begin as early as 2019. 

The lanes would carry drivers from its current terminus in the area of Garrisonville Road south to the area of Warrenton Road (Route 17) in Stafford County. 

The lanes would not cross the Rappahannock River. 

Your comments on the project (welcomed in the comments below) and at VDOT, emailed to project manager Krishna Potturiby by October 10, 2017.

Here’s a brochure distributed Monday night by the Virginia Department of Transportation during a meeting at Stafford High School:

[pdf]https://potomaclocal.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/Fred_Ex_PH_Brochure.pdf[/pdf]