HAYMARKET — When it was announced last year that Tough Mudder Classic was coming to Prince William County, it was heralded as a win for sports tourism.

The popular 10-mile obstacle course run will take place this weekend at Silver Lake Regional Park in near Haymarket. It’s expected to attract hundreds of participants, dubbed “mudders,” and generate up to $2.5 million in consumer spending in Prince William County — mostly through people booking hotel rooms, shopping in area stores, and eating in area restaurants.

The setting — Silver Lake, with 230 acres of rolling meadows, pine forest, and 23-acre lake — is what’s known as a passive-use park. Fishing is allowed, but gas-powered boats and electric motors are banned.

Since it became a county park 10 years ago, Silver Lake, hiking, picnics, paddle boating, and canoeing have all been welcomed activities at the park.

In recent days, as the Tough Mudder Classic draws near, some have cried foul over the use of the park for the extreme sports event.

The Prince William Conservation Alliance says the Tough Mudder Classic, and events like it, do not belong at Silver Lake. It’s calling for local leaders to place the park into a conservation easement that would prevent future events like this, making the park more akin to the Crows Nest Nature Preserve in Stafford County.

“With a Tough Mudder event scheduled for June 1, it’s clear the [Prince William Board of County Supervisors] 2009 commitment does not guarantee good stewardship of Silver Lake. What can we do? First, we need to recognize both the value of the park’s environmental and community resources and the need to protect those resources.

Placing Silver Lake into a conservation easement is a forward-thinking way to accomplish this goal. A conservation easement is a legal agreement between a landowner and a land trust (or government) that permanently restricts certain uses of the land to protect its conservation values. The land trust that holds the easement is obligated to protect the objectives of the easement.

It’s heartening to see so many people speaking up to protect natural areas at Silver Lake.”

— Prince William Conservation Allaince statement

Members of the alliance hope elected officials hear their call and take action following the Tough Mudder event. But those same officials will also be listening to an anticipated presentation from staff members at the county’s parks and recreation department about a potential grant the Tough Mudder organization could receive from county taxpayers.

They’ll also be reviewing the numbers and will present to county leaders a cost-benefit analysis, to see just how much business the event brought into the county.

“Following the event, they may be eligible for a sports tourism incentive grant. This is a performance-based grant based on [hotel tax] revenue generated directly by the event which, in this case, could be between $15,000 and $35,000.

We anticipate between $1.6 and $2.5 million in direct consumer spending within Prince William County associated with this event.

Sports tourism events may be eligible for such incentives when they directly impact the tourism and travel industry of Prince William County through marketing and hosting events that attract a substantial volume of our-of-area participants. They also must agree to promote only Prince William County-based hotels in association with the event, provide data verifying from where registrants visited, agree to co-marketing Prince William County as a tourism destination, and agree to the responsibility for insurance.

Incentives are performance-based and can only be paid after the event following from verification of attendance and hotel nights generated.”

— Brent Heavner, Prince William County Parks and Recreation Department spokesman

Four small trees at the park have been cut down for the Tough Mudder event. The organization is required to restore the park to its previous state following the conclusion of the event.

“The only exception to this may occur in instances where improvements were made to the existing trail system within the park, and staff determines these should remain for future public use,” added Heavner.

Silver Lake Regional Park is located at 16198 Silver Lake Road near Haymarket.

MANASSAS – Novant Health UVA Health System has announced that Douglas J. Markert, MD, will serve as Chief Clinical Officer for its Prince William Medical Center and Haymarket Medical Center.

Previously, Dr. Markert served as chief interventional radiologist for the University of Virginia Community Division in Manassas. In holding this position, Dr. Markert has nearly 20 years of experience performing minimally invasive image-guided surgical techniques to treat a wide range of vascular conditions.

His specialties include the treatment of venous and arterial vascular disease, aneurysms, and varicose veins. He is board certified in diagnostic radiology and holds a certificate of additional qualification in vascular and interventional radiology.

Dr. Markert also served as a past president of Novant Health UVA Health System’s medical staff, as well as having served on several executive committees of the Prince William Hospital System Board.

“Dr. Markert has been a valuable member of the Novant Health UVA Health System team for many years and a member of our medical staff since 1999,” said Stephen Smith, MD, president and COO of Prince William Medical Center and Haymarket Medical Center. “We look forward to the many contributions he will make to our medical staff and our health system leadership.”

During his tenure with Novant Health UVA Health System, Markert created Interventional Radiology departments at Prince William Medical Center and Haymarket Medical Center. His medical experience and commitment to patient safety and high-quality care will support Novant Health UVA Health System’s mission to improve the health of their communities, one person at a time.

Dr. Markert holds a Bachelor of Arts in biology from the University of Rochester and a medical degree from Eastern Virginia Medical School. He completed a residency in diagnostic radiology at the University of Maryland Medical System and a fellowship in interventional radiology at the University of Maryland Medical System/Shock Trauma.

He appears annually in Top Doctors listings published in Northern Virginian Magazine as well as Washingtonian Magazine and has been featured in Oprah magazine for treatment of vein disease.

MANASSAS – Novant Health UVA Health System’s Prince William Medical Center and Haymarket Medical Center were both awarded ‘A’ safety grades.

These grades were determined by The Leapfrog Group, a national nonprofit committed to improving health care quality and safety, during their spring 2019 Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade.

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HAYMARKET – Tough Mudder Classic, an eight to 10-mile obstacle course adventure, is coming to Haymarket’s Silver Lake Park for the weekend of June 1 and 2.

According to Amanda Evertz, a Tough Mudder PR representative, the Silver Lake property was chosen because it has a varied terrain including open areas and woods trails.  It’s also a scenic property with a geographic location well-suited to the event.  Depending on the mud, it’s expected to be an exciting course.

Classic is also packed with more obstacles than ever (25 to be exact). They’ve added 10 new or updated obstacles on every single course. The goal is for participants to test their physical and mental limits and cross the finish line stronger than when they started.

11,000 people are currently anticipated to be on site for the event.  The cost for Saturday is $169 and Sunday is $119. However, according to Evertz, there is currently a 25% discount available online.

Tough Mudder also offers a 5K (launched unofficially last year) which is supposed to be a good starting point for people not ready to run the full course or who don’t have time to train for the June 1 event. The 5K is untimed, so there’s no pressure, no judgement, and no need to train.

These events are teamwork-focused and obstacle-crammed. They also have a Mudder Village for participants to kick back with live entertainment, games and challenges, local food, free beer, and camaraderie. Anyone interested can find out more about Mudder Village here.

Photo: Tough Mudder Facebook

HAYMARKET — On May 16, a second man sought in connection to the 2018 fatal overdose of a Dustin Colburn Lueker, 25, of Haymarket man, was arrested.

Jacob Carl Belotti turned himself in police without incident.

Chukukemeka Musa Chukuka, 32, was also indicted in connection to this investigation and remains incarcerated.

Police said Chukuka and Belotti supplied the victim with heroin combined with suspected Fentanyl at a residence located in the 2400 block of Youngs Drive in Haymarket on February 24, 2018.

Soon after consuming the narcotic, the victim showed signs of an adverse reaction and later died, said Prince William police spokesman Jonathan Perok.

The incident was jointly investigated by detectives from the Narcotics Task Force and the Homicide Unit. At the conclusion of the investigation, and upon receiving the final autopsy report from the Medical Examiner’s Office, the case was presented to the Grand Jury resulting in the issuance of the indictments.

Chukuka was already incarcerated at the Fairfax County Detention Center on unrelated charges.

HAYMARKET – Drivers along Route 15 should expect traffic disruptions as rumble strips are installed on both Wednesday and Thursday night.

Northbound and southbound Route 15 (James Madison Highway) between Route 234 (Sudley Road) and Route 701 (Logmill Road) will have overnight lane closures May 15 and May 16 in order to install a rumble strip along the shoulders, according to the Virginia Department of Transportation.

The single-lane closures will be along a two-mile segment of Route 15 on both Wednesday and Thursday night between 10 p.m. each night and 5 a.m. the following morning.

Drivers should expect delays and, if possible, use alternate routes. Drivers are also asked not to pass the moving equipment until directed by flaggers.

HAYMARKET – Haymarket will honor those who work in public service with their 2nd annual “Field of Flags” ceremony.

The Gainesville Haymarket Rotary Club and the Town of Haymarket are joining together to host the Flags for Heroes and Families weekend commemoration from June 14 through June 16 at the Town of Haymarket Park, located at 14710 Washington Street.

A community ceremony will celebrate this year’s Field of Flags on June 15 at 9 a.m. Individual flags may be sponsored to honor a veteran, firefighter, police officer, teacher or anyone in public service. Sponsorships support Semper K9, a non-profit that provides service dogs to combat veterans. The public ceremony is free and open to the public.

This year’s event will include: Haymarket Baptist Preschool children’s choir, Boy Scout troop 1882, and the National Anthem will be sung by locally renowned performer Jarreau Williams of Xen Live Entertainment. Local dignitaries will be present to recognize heroes as well the Haymarket mayor and town council and the Haymarket police department.

The Haymarket police monitor the flags overnight and provide support during the event. The flags will be erected on Friday, June 14 and taken down June 16, with the flags lit overnight.

Each flag is adorned with a tag containing the honoree’s name, branch of service, or type of service, and who is honoring them. At the end of the ceremony, those who purchased recognition for their hero can attach a placard to a flag of their choosing.

“Whether military, law enforcement, teachers, firefighters, a family member or neighbor, we invite you to honor a hero in your life by sponsoring a flag,” said Terri Aufmuth, president-elect of the Gainesville Haymarket Rotary Clubs. “Proceeds from this event will benefit a local non-profit, Semper K9—they are changing the lives our military veterans every day.”

HAYMARKET — (Press release)  The Prince William County Service Authority is hosting a public information meeting about the Bull Run Mountain and Evergreen Drinking Water Supply Project on Wednesday, April 17, at 7 p.m.

The meeting, which will be held at Evergreen Country Club, 15900 Berkeley Drive, in Haymarket, will include a presentation by Service Authority representatives about the water project as well as a question-and-answer session.

The primary goals of the project are to improve the Service Authority well system to ensure adequate water supply to Bull Run Mountain residents and those living near Evergreen Country Club. The project will also enhance the quality of the water delivered to Service Authority customers living in these areas.

Engineering and hydrogeological analyses began earlier this year, and permitting and development of new and/or rehabilitated groundwater wells will occur throughout 2019. Rehabilitation of existing wells and/or construction of new wells, along with piping that may be required to connect these wells to our distribution system, is expected to begin next year.

For more information on the project, including a list of Frequently Asked Questions, please click the link below.

HAYMARKET -- With the Haymarket Town Council’s 5-1 decision to rezone 9.94 acres from business commercial to “Residential Moderate Density” land use designation, schools in the Gainesville District will become increasingly more crowded.

“We don’t run the schools,” said Haymarket Vice Mayor Susan Edwards just before voting in support of a rezoning request that would allow 79 new townhomes to be built in Haymarket.

According to Alyson A. Satterwhite, Gainesville District School Board member, Battlefield High School was at 143.3% enrollment in the 2017-2018 school year, and Ronald Reagan Middle School was at 112.2%. There has already been an increase in student population for the 2018-2019 school year that will add to this overcrowding.