The Charlie Boone Trails Memorial Bike and Skate Park is coming to Lake Ridge and designs are underway.
To design the park, the Charlie Boone Trails Memorial Foundation partnered with Pillar Design Studios and Artisan Skateparks.Â
“They’re [Pillar Design Studios] the first part of the process of getting a skatepark done. We’ve had meetings and talked about what we wanted this to look like and they have a great reputation throughout the country, and actually internationally too for building skateparks. We knew we had the best company working with us,” said Wendy Boone, president of the Charlie Boone Memorial Foundation.
Pillar Design Studios is a Landscape Architecture firm that specializes in Action Sports design, planning, construction, and process services. Artisan Skateparks is a collaboration of contractors specializing in skatepark design and construction.
The Foundation first met with Artisan Skateparks in 2017, who then connected them to Pillar Design Studios. Artisan Skateparks will handle construction of the park while Pillar Design will handle financing, materials, and design.
“Artisan Skateparks is the first place that I contacted with and as it turned out, they worked with Pillar Design Studios. Pillar does the frontwork basically, the actual design of the skatepark. Artisan does the building, Pillar does the design,” said Boone.
Pillar Design informed the foundation about fundraising and grants, and gave them a list of materials and costs. They came up with eight designs for the Park.
The skatepark will be built on 5.6 acres of land. It will have features such as:Â
- A pump trackÂ
- BMX trails,Â
- Dirt trails that zigzag through the woods
- Walking trails
- Cement riding and skating structure
- Dirt jumps
- Sitting and picnic areas
- A memorial wall for kids in the community who have died.
“We want this to be a family park so that families can come. Parents can come with their kids and watch them skate and bike and have someplace to sit and have a picnic,” said Boone.
In addition, the Foundation also created a:
- Fire and rescue planÂ
- Cultural resources planÂ
- Police plan analysis
- Water plan analyses
- Sanitary sewer plan analysis
- Transportation plan analysis
The Foundation currently needs $500,000 before they can begin construction.
The Charlie Boone Trails Memorial Bike and Skate Park is being built to honor the memory of Charlie Boone, who passed away in 2012. A year after his death, the land where he and other BMX bikers and skaters used to ride was about to be sold and would be subject to trespassing. Hearing this, the Charlie Boone Trails Memorial Foundation was created, and partnered with the Prince William County Parks Department, along with Supervisor Ruth Anderson, the BMX track, and many other community members to create this park.Â
“Charlie loved biking and skating, and when he passed away, we wanted to do something to honor that part in his life and to give other kids in the community to make friends and make memories of their own,” said Boone.Â
More information about the Park can be found at cboonetrailsmemorialfoundation.org.
The new 5.5-acre park will be located at 12490 Everest Peak Lane, near the Old Bridge Festival Shopping Center in Lake Ridge.
On September 19, 2020, Stafford County will have a drive-thru Rabies Clinic for pet owners to have their cats and dogs vaccinated. The event will be held by Stafford Animal control on the Stafford Government Center campus.
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Drive-Thru Rabies Clinic Provides Quick and Easy Protection
Have your cat or dog vaccinated at Stafford’s drive-thru Rabies Clinic on Saturday, September 19, 2020. The cost is $10 per pet, and you must pre-register online or by visiting the Stafford Treasurer’s Office. Stafford Animal Control is holding the event on the Stafford Government Center campus.
“This is another service we provide to our citizens to help keep everyone safe and to allow them to complete business with ease,” said Stafford Sheriff’s Office Captain Mike Null, Chief Animal Control Officer. “Prevention is critically important when it comes to rabies, and there is no easier way to get your pet vaccinated.”
If you have a record of your pet’s last vaccination, your pet is eligible for three years of prevention. If you have no record of a rabies shot or if the rabies vaccination has expired by more than one month, the pet can only receive a one-year shot. It is helpful to provide a receipt for your online or in-person registration, although these are not required. Non-county residents are also welcome, but they must pre-register.
Dogs must be on a leash and remain in their vehicle for the shot. Cats must be in a carrier. They will be taken into the Animal Control mobile unit to be vaccinated and returned to the vehicle. Social distancing per Coronavirus protocol will be observed, and participants are asked to wear a mask. All pets are required to be four months or older.
It is important to note that pre-registration is required by visiting www.staffordcountyva.gov/rabiesclinic. The registration will close on Wednesday, September 16. There are no refunds if you pre-register and cannot attend. The clinic takes place from 8:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. on Saturday, September 19, 2020, in the parking lot of the Stafford County Government Center, 1300 Courthouse Road, Stafford, VA 22554.
On August 22, 2020, Montclair celebrated the Chartering of a new youth club called the Montclair Leo Club, sponsored by the Montclair Lions Club.
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A new Leo Club came to Montclair on Saturday, August 22nd when 29 members celebrated the official Chartering of the new club in a virtual meeting. The Montclair Lions Club, which is in its 42nd year of operations, sponsored the new Leo Club.Â
Montclair Lions President Mike O’Neal, who presided over the Charter Night events said, “Tonight’s event marks the official installation of 29 future community leaders. Since forming on June 30, 2020, they have grown from their original 25 charter members to 29 members representing 10 schools throughout the county. The Leo’s have taken on service projects in the community including a food drive and a pen pal letter campaign with an assisted living community. They demonstrate the exceptional youth in Prince William County, who are making a difference”Â
Leo Clubs are a youth organization of Lions Clubs International. The word Leo stands for Leadership, Experience, Opportunity. Leo Clubs encourage youths to develop leadership qualities by participating in social service activities. Clubs are open to youth ages 12 to18 years of age.Â
Ms. Shakira Mangrio, a Forest Park High School senior, is the first President of the new club. Ms. Kylie Norosky, a Charles Colgan High School junior, will serve as the First Vice President. Ms. Alyssa Osmer, a Forest Park High School junior, is the Treasurer, and Ms. Lilly Gleiman, a Charles Colgan High School junior, is the Secretary.Â
Leo President Shakira stated, “I have been blessed with a very motivated and energetic Club Membership and Board. We are excited to give back to our community. Through this important work, we plan to make a difference in our community.”Â
Leo Treasurer Alyssa Osmer, reflecting on her experiences said, “I am so happy and proud to be a part of this great organization. All of us who joined are looking for an opportunity to give back and be a part of something bigger than ourselves. The Leo’s is truly a great group of people who truly want to help”Â
The evening’s event included the attendance and remarks by Lions District Governor for District 24-L, Glen Logan who said, “In such a short time you have demonstrated the true meaning of the Lions Motto, “We Serve”. I am very impressed with the service projects that you have already accomplished, especially under the current limitations imposed by the COVID 19 pandemic. Your actions of service are an inspiration beyond your young years. Well done and thank you all!”
Leadership Prince William announced the members of its Class of 2021 and its plans for the school year.
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Leadership Prince William is pleased to announce the members of their Signature Program Class of 2021. The class members will kick off their year with an Opening Retreat at Skyland Resort September 24 and 25. From there the class will meet one business day per month through June; viewing Prince William County and the Cities of Manassas and Manassas Park through a new lens during each session. Session topics range from History and Government to Health and Human Services, providing a comprehensive view of their community while participants discover more about their own leadership styles and how to better engage those in their sphere of influence to impact change in greater Prince William.
Those familiar with Leadership Prince William’s program will notice that this year’s class is significantly smaller than in years past to accommodate social distancing requirements brought on by COVID-19.
The members of the Leadership Prince William Signature Program Class of 2021 are:
Carlos Perez Alvarado, City of Manassas Government
LaTanya Buckhalter, City of Manassas Department of Social Services
Heather Causseaux, Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center
Rich DiGiovanna, Re/Max Allegiance, DiGiovanna Realty Group
Eboney Dixon, CIA
Irene Franklin, Samson Properties
Dr. Vanessa Gattis, Prince William Community Foundation
William (Reid) Howard, CFI Financial Advisors
Major Shana Hrubes, Prince William County Police Department
Deshundra Jefferson, 8 Eighty Strategies, LLC
Nicole Kephart, Prince William County Sheriff’s Office
Nichii Namaha-Ono, Symbiosis Behavioral Health and Wellness, LLC
Monae Nickerson, LinkVisum Consulting
Robert Perry, Transportation Security Administration
Carmen Rodriguez, Washington Regional Association of Grantmakers
Mollie Rosenburg, Prince William County Public Schools
Heather Stietzel, Prince William Chamber of Commerce
Lydia Teutsch, ACTS-Action in Community Through Service
Colin Thornell, Micron Technology, Inc.
Amani Walker, George Mason University
Jessica Webb, Prince William County Department of Social Services
The Rappahannock Area Community Services Board and Rappahannock Adult Activities are hosting an annual fall plant salet to help adults with disabilities.
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Want to go green and help adults with disability at the same time? Try kale. Or broccoli.
Rappahannock Adult Activities offers vegetables, flowers, succulents and pumpkins through its fall plant sale. This fundraiser helps adults with disability thrive in our community.
“This is the perfect time to plant fall vegetables,” said Horticulture Program Manager Andy Lynn. “And we’ve got a great selection flourishing in our greenhouse.”
To see a full list of available plants and to download an order form, go to www.rappahannockareacsb.org. Choose your plants and email the form to [email protected]. RAAI offers curbside pickup at 750 Kings Highway in Stafford County.
Curbside pickup will be available Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon. An order form can be downloaded from the agency’s website, www.rappahannockareacsb.org. Customers should email their completed form to [email protected]. Onsite patio shopping will be available by appointment only. Call 540/226-2949 to schedule an appointment.
Pumpkins, mums and asters will be available in September.
For more than 40 years, RAAI day support services have helped caregivers be able to maintain jobs and hobbies, while providing adults with developmental disability chances to develop hobbies and friendships. RAAI serves more than 160 individuals in the City of Fredericksburg and counties of Caroline, King George, Spotsylvania and Stafford.
For details, call RAAI at 540/373-7643 or visit www.rappahannockareacsb.org/dayservices
Founded in 1970, the Rappahannock Area Community Services Board (RACSB) provides public mental health, developmental disability, substance abuse and prevention/early intervention services to the residents of the City of Fredericksburg and the counties of Caroline, King George, Spotsylvania and Stafford. To learn more, visit www.rappahannockareacsb.org.
The Novant Health UVA Health System Prince William Medical Center has received an award for its commitment to treating patients with heart failure.
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 Novant Health UVA Health System Prince William Medical Center has received the American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines®-Heart Failure Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award.
The award recognizes the hospital’s commitment to ensuring heart failure patients receive the most appropriate treatment according to nationally recognized, research-based guidelines founded in the latest scientific evidence. These guidelines aim to speed recovery and reduce hospital readmissions for heart failure patients.
Prince William Medical Center earned the award by surpassing specific quality achievement measures for the diagnosis and treatment of heart failure patients at a set level for a designated period.
These measures include evaluation of the proper use of medications and aggressive risk-reduction therapies. Before discharge, patients should also receive education on managing their heart failure and overall health, get a follow-up visit scheduled, as well as other care transition interventions.
“We are pleased to be recognized once again with the prestegious American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines®-Heart Failure Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award,” said Stephen Smith, MD, president and chief operating officer, Haymarket Medical Center and Prince William Medical Center.
Earlier this year, Prince William Medical Center opened its second cardiac catheterization laboratory to meet the region’s growing demand for heart and vascular services including coronary artery, vascular and electrophysiology procedures. The $4 million cath lab is equipped with state-of-the-art imaging technology for the diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular patients.
According to the American Heart Association, more than 6.5 million adults in the United States are living with heart failure. Many heart failure patients can lead a full, enjoyable life when their condition is managed with proper medications or devices and with healthy lifestyle changes.
The Prince William County Solid Waste Division and Keep Prince William Beautiful are holding a fix-it fair, and fixers are needed.
This event will take place on October 17, 2020, from 10 am to 4 pm, in conjunction with Prince William Recycles Day. Residents will have the opportunity to bring items for repair and reuse.Â
“A fix-it-fair provides a convenient way for people to make their “it’s in good shape, except” items useable again and this reduces wastes and promotes reuse,” said Prince William County Solid Waste Division Chief Tom Smith.
The fix-it-fair is recruiting “fixers” and will offer a stipend to cover the time and materials they provide. Those who are interested can email [email protected] with their name, phone number, and “fix-it specialties.”
“…if you’re a “fixer: of things like jewelry, clothing, small furniture and appliances, bicycles, shoes, umbrellas, glasses, ceramics, and other portable items, your talents are needed,” said in a press release by the Prince William Solid Waste Division.
Social distancing measures will be in place to protect “fixers,” volunteers, and attendees.Â
The Prince William Solid Waste Division provides solid waste management, recycling, composting, and waste resource education to the county. It is part of the Prince William County Public Works Department.
Keep Prince William Beautiful is a non-profit environmental organization that partners with residents, businesses, and the government to educate and inspire people to be environmental stewards.
The county originally planned to host its fix-it fair in the spring but delayed the event due to the coronavirus.
Manassas Park today will celebrate the grand opening of its first library, the Manassas Park City Library.
The grand opening will take place at the library in Bloom’s Park, at 9701 Manassas Drive, the former clubhouse of the General’s Ridge Golf Course.
The library is open by appointment only, and for curbside pickup due to the coronavirus pandemic. Visitors will be allowed inside the library for one hour, and appointments can be made online.Â
Users can also register for a library card online and then go to the library to pick up the card. Registered users may also check up materials online and head to the library for curbside pickup.
The building in Blooms Park will be a temporary location for the new library which, in 2023, will be relocated to the Manassas Park City Center, a new development slated to be built next to the city hall.
The city’s governing body decided to its own library system in February, leaving the Prince William County Public Library System and joining the Library of Virginia System.Â
“We’ve been engaging in so much over the last three years on how to fix the city’s finances, how to improve our operations, how to improve our technology, how to improve our economy, and this has been something we’ve been discussing for a while,” said Manassas Park City Manager Laszlo Palko.Â
Following that decision, city leaders signed a contract with Library Systems & Services, a private Maryland-based firm hired to manage the city’s new library.
“…they helped us with the recruitment [of] library staff. Their team…was serving as our library staff until they got the permanent staff actually hired. Had we not gone that route, there’s no way we would’ve been able to open on time,” said Palko.
The private firm is the nation’s third-largest library system and is relied on by over 80 libraries and communities. Manassas Park will be its first client in Virginia.
In addition, the new Manassas Park library will receive state funding and the city is looking for grants.Â
Holly Ritchie will serve as the Manassas Park City Library director, and three outsourced employees will work at the library.
Ritchie obtained her Master’s degree in Library & Information Sciences from the University of Arizona and her Bachelor’s Degree in Library Informatics from Kentucky University. She has spent most of her career in libraries in a variety of positions, such as:
- An overnight shift supervisor at Arizona State University
- A Youth Services Library Assistant at the Phoenix Public Library,
- A Cataloging/Serials Assistant at Chase Law Library
- The Voyage Librarian aboard the study abroad program, Semester at Sea, for the Spring 2020 voyage
The grand opening, while initially planned to be a ribbon-cutting ceremony, will now be an appointment-only ceremony, with social distancing measures in place.
Manassas Park’s library will offer physical and digital books, technology services, and volunteer opportunities for residents.
The G. Richard Pfitzner Stadium in Woodbridge was once home to minor league baseball, but it will soon become a temporary drive-in theater.Â
The idea, called ‘Movies at the Pfitz,’ was conceived by Ben Hazekamp, a financial advisor, and Valerie Meale, a business development manager at Whitlock Wealth Management in Lake Ridge. They contacted Seth Hendler-Voss, Director of Prince William County Parks and Recreation, who supported the idea and aided in making it possible.
The event, which will span over four weeks, will serve as a fundraiser for the service budgets of the Woodbridge and Lake Ridge Rotary clubs. The clubs will be donating all profits gained from car pass sales, sponsorships, and advertising to local nonprofits in Prince William County. The two Rotary clubs also are providing 10 and 15 volunteers for the drive-thru.
“During these trying times for many in our community, we wanted to find a way to give back and support both our community as well as our local nonprofits. We came up with ‘Movies at the Pfitz’ to deliver some much needed entertainment for many stuck inside for months, while giving those same people an opportunity to support local nonprofits who are serving so many in our community. This four-night drive-in is our way of giving back to the community we love,” said Hazekamp.
The event secured a partnership with A2Z Entertainment, who will be both supplying and operating equipment for the drive-in show, as well as sponsorships from multiple companies. Comcast, for example, has given the event a $5,000 sponsorship.Â
To decide on the proper films, Hazekamp and Meale hosted an online survey asking the public to vote for the movies they want to watch. They currently have four movies lined up and are trying to get the rights to air them. The movies are:
- Raiders of the Lost Ark
- Grease
- Field of Dreams
The fourth movie has not yet been announced.
Car passes will cost $30 per vehicle and the stadium will have a limit of 115 vehicles, and there will be two food trucks and a restaurant on-site for patrons. To keep with social distancing guidelines, each vehicle will park in every other parking space and each patron is encouraged to wear a mask outside.Â
The films will be shown on July 25, August 1, August 15, and August 22.