Three Prince William County Supervisors today introduced a plan that will be addressed at its regular 7:30 p.m. on October 15.

• It’s something they hinted at on Sept. 16.

Per the plan announced at a rare press conference, any action on developing in the Rural Crescent — 117,000 acres of land between Quantico Marine Corps Base and Manassas National Battlefield Park — would be suspended.

• Supervisors Jeanine Lawson, Peter Candland, and Frank Principi introduced the plan.
• It’s a bi-partisan effort of two Republicans and a Democrat, respectively.

It comes after the county’s Planning Office released its recommendations for how to proceed in the Rural Crescent.

• They include introducing water and sewer lines into the area for the future development of new higher-density, residential “cluster” developments.
• And a transfer of development rights (TDR) program that would allow landowners in the Rural Crescent the option to sell their right to a build on their land to another housing developer.
• That developer then could take those development rights and build on any one of three locations inside the Rural Crescent.
• It’s a far cry from an older proposal that would have sent TDR rights for development on Route 1, in the county’s more urbanized Woodbridge District.
• Many of the recommendations stem from a study of the Rural Crescent, ordered by the Board of County Supervisors in 2012, that’s been collecting dust since 2014.

The only recommendation from the study the three leaders’ support — a Purchase of Development Rights (PDR) program.

• Here, taxpayer monies would be used to purchase property inside the rural area.
• The land would be placed in a conversation easement and could not be developed.
• The property owner would still keep the land for farming use only.

“It’s absurd to me, the notion that in order to preserve the Rural Crescent, we must develop it,” said Lawson, about the county’s recommendation for adding water and sewer for cluster developments.

Supervisors accused home builders of working to lessen or remove building restrictions in the Rural Crescent since it was created in 1998.

• Under the current rules, landowners can sell to developers who will build new homes — one per 10-acre lot.
• Those who call for preserving the rural area say that it will be an undue burden on taxpayers to fund the construction of new roads, schools, fire stations etc. to accommodate the new growth.

“It’s time to draw a line in the sand and stop all of this out-of-control development,” said Candland.

Principi lost a June Primary Election to fellow Democrat Margaret Franklin, who is now the Democratic nominee for Woodbridge Supervisor’s seat.

• He told Potomac Local today he plans to become a “citizen activist” to promote the urbanization of Woodbridge, especially near its the Virginia Railway Express station at the intersection of Routes 1 and 123.
• He would not confirm what multiple sources told us in August — that he would mount a write-in campaign against Franklin.
• Principi on Sept. 16 cast doubt on Franklin’s desire to preserve the Rural Crescent, calling her political positions “to the extreme left of me.”
• Franklin maintains she’s working to build consensus on how to best preserve the Rural Cresent.

Lawson and Candland are running contested races on November 5 to keep their respective seats in Brentsville and Gainesville.

Zandra’s Taqueria owner and founder Miguel Pires will open a third location in Haymarket.

“We’re finishing up the buildout now,” Pires said, and added that the Haymarket location will be open the end of October.

Pires had been trying to open a Zandra’s in Haymarket for three years, but he had faced challenges with finding a space.

• The new restaurant will open inside the Quality Business Engineering (QBE Building) – a 1940’s era school building once owned by the Prince William County School division.
• The building is located at 14600 Washington Street.
• Many Zandra’s customers from Prince William County visit the chain’s original location in Downtown Manassas., particularly the Gainesville/Haymarket/Bristow area, Pires said.
• Pires said that the QBE building has a similar historic charm to their Old Town Manassas location.

Clarke Congdon, one of the partners at Georgetown Caterers along with Pires and Chris Sellers, will be the executive chef for Zandra’s.

• Congdon has introduced and developed four signature sauces that are available in the restaurants – a chimichurri, a peach habanero, a salsa verde, and a red chile sauce.
  Congdon and Pires are considering production for the sauces and will look to sell the sauces at farmers’ markets.
• The Haymarket location would be a “test kitchen” of sorts, Congdon explained.

“You always want to dream big when you start anything,” Congdon said.

This month also marks the first anniversary of Zandra’s opening its second location in Fairfax.

• Pires said that business in Fairfax has been good. 
• The faculty and staff at nearby George Mason University nearby provide a lot of their business, so it slowed down a little over the summer. 

The Town Council voted in a special session September 18, appointing an interim Town Clerk, and the Town Council’s liaison to the Architectural Review Board.

Town Manager Christopher Coon was unanimously voted in as Interim Town Clerk by the Town Council.

• He will replace former Town Clerk Shelley Kozlowski who resigned earlier this month.

Coon was hired as Town Manager on September 9 and is also the town’s Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Officer.

• Coon held these same or similar positions when he worked for Occoquan Town.

“ I will say that even though it is only a temporary position, dictated by the Town Code, I am honored that the Town Council has faith in me,” said Coon.

Coon will serve as interim until a full-time applicant can be found.

• The position is still currently open at this time.

During that same meeting, Vice Mayor Susan Edwards was also unanimously voted to be the new liaison to the Architectural Review Board.

• Edwards will replace Bond Cavazos who not only resigned from that position, but also her seat on the Council on September 10.
• Her seat is still open, and the town is accepting applications for those who want to fill it on an interim basis.

Edwards had previously been the council’s liaison to the board but stepped down in favor of Cavazos stepping into the position.

“I’m happy to be back in this position, I believe it’s an important board in town with all the growth that’s going on,” said Edwards.

Haymarket Town Councilwoman Bond Cavazos resigned from her post on September 10. She had been elected in June 2018 and her term would have ended June 2020.

She also resigned from the town’s Architectural Review Board.

• “It is painfully obvious that for most issues facing Haymarket I have stood almost alone on the council in opposition to positions taken by the mayor and most council members,” said Cavazos. “It is obviously and exceptionally stressful that one voice on the council can not affect change, mostly because that voice is drowned out by the lockstep marching of the mayor’s drumbeat. It is exhausting knowing that I may always be one of possibly two no votes on too many important issues where I think the Haymarket council is completely and utterly out of step with the desire of its residents.”

When reached for comment Mayor David Leake said, “In my opinion, this is simply inaccurate. She voted with a majority of council 87.9% of the time and only against the majority of council in three matters.”

Cavazos did vote with the majority of the council nearly 89% of her time as a member, according to her voting record.

On only three items did Cavazos break with the majority of the town council.

• In September 2018, she voted against giving special use permits to two drive-thru restaurants at the Crossroads Village Project.
• Cavazos later changed her vote in October 2018 which overturned a veto by Mayor Leake to deny the permits to those restaurants.
• In August 2019, she voted against the council for a demolition permit for a building on Jefferson Street which would allow for the building of a new four-story Hilton Hotel.
• The Architectural Review Board, of which Cavazos was a member, had previously denied the permit.

The third was during a closed session that also took place in August 2019.

During her statement, Cavazos also made mention of the former town clerk Shelly Kozlowski who had tendered her resignation a few weeks prior to Mrs. Cavazos resignation.

• “…we cannot afford to lose another valued member like Shelly Kozlowski who provided infinite passion, resources, and hard work for our town”

We asked Cavazos to expand on her statement.

• “My resignation statement to the Council stands on its own. It is not based on the quantity of votes taken by the council, but rather looking at the importance of the individual votes. Out of respect for Shelley Kozlowski, I cannot speak on her behalf.”

The Council will appoint a replacement within the 45-day requirement to fill the position and will serve until the end of Cavazos term, June 2020.

HAYMARKET -- The Battlefield High School (BHS) Bobcat varsity football team of Haymarket will kick off its first annual Military Appreciation Football Game on Friday, Sept. 27 at 7 p.m.

This event, presented by BHS Athletic Booster Club and sponsored by Honor Brewing Co. of Manassas, will take place at Battlefield High School at 15000 Graduation Drive.

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WARRENTON — Novant Health UVA Health System’s Prince William and Haymarket Medical Centers have been recognized by the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association.

Both medical centers received Gold Plus Quality Recognition in the Get With The Guidelines-Heart Failure.

The award recognizes the hospitals’ commitment to ensuring heart failure patients receive the most appropriate treatment according to nationally-recognized, research-based guidelines founded on the latest scientific evidence.

The goal is speeding recovery and reducing hospital readmissions.

To earn the award, Prince William Medical Center and Haymarket Medical Center met 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 also receive education on managing their overall health, get a follow-up visit scheduled, as well as other care transition interventions.

Prince William Medical Center is also recognized on the American Heart Association’s Target: Heart Failure (SM) Honor Roll.

The honor roll includes a select group of hospitals that have met specific criteria that improves medication adherence, provides easy follow-up care and coordination, and enhances patient education.

In addition, Prince William Medical Center received the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association’s Get With The Guidelines Target-Stroke® Honor Roll Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award.

To earn this award, the hospital successfully demonstrated its commitment to provide stroke patients with appropriate treatment aligned with nationally-recognized, research-based guidelines founded on current scientific evidence.

Specifically, Prince William Medical Center met quality measures developed to reduce the time between the patient’s arrival at the hospital and treatment.

“Novant Health UVA Health System is dedicated to improving the quality of care and bringing the best of health to our patients with the convenience of being treated in their own community hospital,” said Stephen Smith, M.D., President and COO of Prince William Medical Center and Haymarket Medical Center. “We are honored to receive these accolades from the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association. Tools and resources provided by the Get With The Guidelines programs help us track and measure our success in meeting evidenced-based clinical guidelines developed to improve patient outcomes.”

This brings national recognition to Novant Health UVA Health System medical centers for improving patient care and outcomes for heart failure and stroke patients.

HAYMARKET — Jersey Mike’s Subs, known for its fresh sliced-and-grilled subs, will open in Haymarket on Aug. 14.

Franchise owner Chris Brown will hold a grand opening and free sub fundraiser from Wednesday, Aug. 14 to Sunday, Aug. 18 to support Haymarket Regional Food Pantry.

The new restaurant, located at 6424 Trading Square, is circulating 7,500 coupons throughout the community offering a free regular sub for a minimum $2 contribution to the Haymarket Regional Food Pantry. Customers must have a coupon to be eligible.

“We want to raise awareness along with funds to highlight the contribution the food pantry makes throughout northern Virginia,” said Brown.

Brown is an exemplary Jersey Mike’s franchise owner who shares the company’s commitment to quality products and exceptional customer service, and who are dedicated to giving back to the local community.

Since 2010, Jersey Mike’s locations throughout the country have raised more than $41 million for local charities and have distributed more than 2 million free sub sandwiches to help numerous causes.

In 2019, the company’s 9th Annual Jersey Mike’s Month of Giving in March raised more than $7.3 million for more than 200 charities throughout the country.

Started in 1956, Jersey Mike’s now has 2,000 restaurants open and under development nationwide.

Jersey Mike’s was named the country’s Fastest-growing Sandwich Chain in the 2019 Nation’s Restaurant News Top 200 and #1 Most Admired Fast-casual Brand in QSR’s 2019 Reader’s Choice Awards.

The restaurant’s hours are 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., seven days a week.

Photo: Jersey Mike’s Facebook page

WOODBRIDGE — Tough Mudder’s first event at Silver Lake Park in Prince William County may have been its last.

Gainesville District Supervisor Peter Candland asked county staff to explore what it would take to issue a land easement to prevent future athletic events like the Tough Mudder event that occurred two weeks ago.

Should the easement be enacted, instead of events that draw thousands of people to the park, activities at Silver Lake would be limited to walking and hiking. The park would then be akin to the protected Crows Nest Natural Preserve in Stafford County.

The Tough Mudder organization has an agreement with Prince William County to hold its “Tough Mudder Classic” event at the park for the next five years. The pop-up fitness event features a 10-mile run with obstacle courses in a party-like atmosphere, according to the organization’s website.

The first and only “Tough Mudder Classic” event to be held at Silver Lake Park near Haymarket was held June 1 and 2 and attracted 9,400 people to the region, according to Prince William County Parks, Recreation, and Tourism Director Seth Handler Voss. Attracting Tough Mudder to the county is part of the county’s effort to increase tourism to the region, he added.

The event generated $1.25 million in sales for local businesses, $10,894 in local sales taxes, and nearly $15,000 for hotel taxes in the county, Handler Voss estimates.

“If the facts and figures show that this [event] had a positive economic impact, we should continue the relationship…” said Prince William Chamber of Commerce Director of Government Relations Ross Snare told the County Board of Supervisors.

Others who participated in the event also said they appreciated having the Tough Mudder in their own backyard. Gainesville District Supervisor Peter Candland, who participated in the event with his daughter, He called the event “uplifting,” and one that provides people with a “great sense of accomplishment.”

But his praise for Tough Mudder stopped there. When Handler Voss warned Board of Supervisors that the Tough Mudder organization needs to know by the end of this month whether or not it will be welcomed back to Silver Lake, Candland said: “Tell them to prepare to find another location.”

Candland took issue with the more than 1,200 square feet of the 230-acre park that was excavated to install the obstacle course for the event. “It’s going to take months to get it back to the way it looked before the event only to turn around and tear it up again,” Candland added.

He asked Handler Voss to work with the Tough Mudder organization to find another public or private park in the county to host its event next year. Handler Voss said there may not be another suitable site, and added the organization enjoyed being at Silver Lake.

Silver Lake was proffered to Prince William County by a land developer in 2006. It opened as a public park three years later.

Photo: Seth Handler Voss addresses the Prince William Board of County Supervisors.

MANASSAS — (Press Release) Out of an abundance of caution, Health Districts in Northern Virginia are informing people who were at various locations listed below during the specified time frames, that they may have been exposed to a person with measles.

Northern Virginia area health officials are mounting a coordinated effort to identify people who may have been exposed. Listed below are the dates, times, and locations of the potential exposure sites associated with the confirmed case of measles:

• Dulles International Airport in Terminal A and Baggage Claim level on Sunday, June 2, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m.
• Novant Health UVA Health System Haymarket Medical Center, 15225 Heathcote Boulevard, Haymarket, VA in the emergency department on Sunday, June 2 at 11 p.m. through early Monday, June 3 at 4:30 a.m.
• Inova Fair Oaks Hospital, 3600 Joseph Siewick Drive, Fairfax, VA in the emergency department, including the waiting area, on Tuesday, June 4 from 3 to 5:30 p.m.

Measles is a highly contagious illness that is spread through coughing, sneezing, and contact with droplets from the nose, mouth or throat of an infected individual. Measles symptoms usually appear in two stages. In the first stage, most people have a fever of greater than 101 degrees, runny nose, watery red eyes and a cough.

The second stage begins around the third to seventh day when a rash begins to appear on the face and spreads over the entire body. Based on the date of exposure, we have determined that if you were infected with measles, you may develop symptoms as late as June 25, 2019.

What should you do if you were at one of the above locations at the time specified?

• If you have received two doses of a measles containing vaccine (either the measles, mumps and rubella [MMR] vaccine or a measles only vaccine which is available in other countries) you are protected and do not need to take any action.
• If you have received only one dose of a measles containing vaccine, you are very likely to be protected and your risk of being infected with measles from any of these exposures is very low.  However, to achieve complete immunity, contact your health care provider about getting a second vaccine dose.
• If you have never received a measles containing vaccine nor had a documented case of measles, you may be at risk of getting measles from this exposure.  Contact your local health department or health care provider for advice on possible intervention to decrease your risk of becoming infected or other precautions you need to take.  If you notice the symptoms of measles, stay home and away from others and immediately call your primary health care provider or health department to discuss further care. Call aheadbefore going to the office or the emergency room and tell them that you were exposed to measles.

Measles is easily preventable through a safe and effective MMR vaccine. The best protection against future measles cases is the vaccination of all susceptible persons. Two doses are recommended for most individuals with the first dose given at age 12-15 months and the second prior to kindergarten entry (age 4-6 years).

Measles is common in many parts of the world, including popular tourist destinations. All persons who will be traveling internationally should be evaluated for measles immunity and vaccinated as needed. Infants too young to be vaccinated should consider avoiding travel to areas with measles until they can be vaccinated.

Residents with additional questions about this measles investigation can call 571-233-7314. For more information on measles, visit www.vdh.virginia.gov/epidemiology/epidemiology-fact-sheets/measles-rubeola/.