• Further overcrowd the already-overcrowded schools nearby (particularly middle and high schools), adding at least 376 students to already-overcapacity area schools. Nearby high schools currently account for 88% of PW County School District’s high school classrooms in trailers.
• Gridlock Devlin and connected roads during rush hours (per the county’s estimate, 5500 more vehicle trips per day on Devlin and surrounding roads when fully built out — 2-3 vehicles per house and 4 vehicle trips, i.e., 2 round trips, per vehicle).
• Likely lead thereafter to several thousand more houses being approved on nearby properties. The owners/potential developers of these properties are watching whether this project is  approved and they can thus go forward with their own projects. These projects can be approved quickly under the county’s DAPS process (Development Application Processing Schedule). Here’s a map of some nearby properties on the county’s DAPS map, which would bring thousands of other houses to the area (see https://www.pwcgov.org/government/dept/planning/Pages/Development-Application-Processing-Schedule.aspx ).
• Likely be tax-negative. While the developer’s lawyers at Walsh, Colucci, Lubelai, and Walsh PC claim otherwise, these claims are, of course, in no way legally binding on anyone and thus not credible. Tax-negative residential development is the main underlying reason why PW real estate taxes have gone up so much in the last ten years (35% for us), while remaining flat in nearby counties such as Loudoun. Also, don’t take too seriously any Stanley-Martin Homes Devlin Rd/Stone Haven II project proffers — i.e., worthless land and other promises to the county. Many projects’ approved proffers are withdrawn later by the developers and the BOCS when citizens are no longer paying attention.
• According to several reliable sources, the proposal, Devlin Rd/Stone Haven II, is currently expected to come before the BOCS for approval sometime around the 2018 Thanksgiving or Christmas holidays, undoubtedly to minimize input by ordinary citizens.

• Making the citizens who had come to address the Planning Commission wait for over two hours before even being allowed to speak against the Devlin Rd./Stone Haven II project. (The meeting went so late that many of them had to leave before it was finally their turn to speak.)
• Ignoring the pleas of the 15 citizens who remained — even after the over-two-hour wait — to speak against (only 6 in favor) and the pleas of Brentsville Planning Commissioner Patti McKay, who cited compelling evidence against the project as currently proposed and offered alternatives.
• Then voting 6-1 to approve the proposal, despite the overwhelming body of evidence showing it’s a bad deal for ordinary citizens. (For more info, click the following link, which includes an aerial view of the land to be used for the project: https://www.princewilliamtimes.com/news/stonehaven-lite-advances-in-bristow/article_a844cc36-bff2-11e8-98e3-4f16e15aa6b3.html).

• Devlin Road/Stone Haven II — We are hearing from several reliable sources that you may recuse yourself from the vote on this project because your wife owns an ice cream shop on Devlin Road, and the merchants in her shopping center, “Bristow Commons,” have come out in favor of the project. However, there is no conceivable conflict of interest for you if you vote “no.”
• John Marshall Commons — On May 15 2018 you voluntarily recused yourself from voting on this project, stating that your family owns a nearby ice cream shop. According to our friends at Citizens Alliance of Prince William, who checked into this, you did so despite the County Attorney reportedly assuring you that you could legally participate in the hearing, “after making proper disclosures.” The project was approved on a 4-3 vote; if you had voted “no,” it would have been defeated. (See: https://www.princewilliamtimes.com/news/county-supervisors-approve-more-townhomes-for-haymarket/article_03d403f2-5944-11e8-9e4a-97fc1d0e55c4.html).
• Blackburn — Without adequate notification to citizens and thus no citizen input, on 17 Nov 2015, you revived and persuaded the BOCS to vote for a previously-tabled proposal to build over  400 houses along Balls Ford Rd next to Coverstone, claiming that these would be luxury houses and thus not tax-negative. You also incomprehensibly claimed that by building a soccer field and possibly widening parts of Ashton Ave., Blackburn would, most importantly for you, help people living in Coverstone (what you called “a struggling area”), though you admitted that the Blackburn development “would be a hit” on roads and schools in the area. You then said you regretted that your actions would offend some constituents (all those who would be harmed by  more overcrowded roads and schools and more tax-negative residential development — i.e., ordinary citizens). But you noted that you couldn’t always please everyone and that your actions would please others — i.e., residential developers and their allies. (For further info, see: https://pwcgov.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=23&clip_id=2046 Agenda Item #13A, which is buried at the 4-hour 22-minute mark of an over 7-hour BOCS meeting.)
• Developer Campaign Contributions — According to your latest reporting, you have now received over $93,000 (35% of all your campaign $) from residential developers, including R&K Realty, the realtor for Stone Haven I and Devlin Road/Stone Haven II. This does not include thousands of dollars more that you’ve received from pro-developer cronies like Corey Stewart and Wally Covington. (See https://www.vpap.org.)
• Rural Crescent — To your credit, you’ve fought aggressively against the Bi-County Parkway (BCP), which would be built through areas of the Rural Crescent around Bull Run Battlefield and open up the whole area to large-scale residential development. We note that you’ve received $12,500 dollars from developer MaryAnn Ghadban (and brother Harry S. Ghadban), who lives in that area and has led the fight against BCP to keep residential development far away from her; and yet we’ve heard little or nothing from you supporting preservation of other parts of the Rural Crescent. (See: https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/trafficandcommuting/foes-of-bi-county-parkway-in-pr-william-and-loudoun-unite-in-grass-roots-campaign/2013/07/29/16487b30-e018-11e2-b2d4-ea6d8f477a01_story.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.5a93db85b10a. See also: https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/realestate/1985/03/09/battlefield-owners-file-bankruptcy/682eb76d-0a97-41a7-a8f1-1c309e6c43f8/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.9a39576324b8.)
• Pay for Play — Considering the five bullets immediately above, it sounds to us like you increasingly support “pay-for-play” politics in PW County, just like Chairman Stewart and Chairman Connaughton before him. From now on, please say — and consistently show us — that it ain’t so. Show us that you consistently support the interests of ordinary citizens, who don’t deserve extremely overcrowded roads and schools into which they’re herded like cattle, higher taxes because of overwhelmingly tax-negative residential development, and relatively lower property values because of this overcrowding, higher taxes, less green space, and thus relatively lower quality of life in the county.

NOKESVILLE – (Press Release) Hazelwood Drive between Carriage Ford Road and Fleetwood Drive will be closed to through traffic (weather permitting) from 9 a.m. Monday, Oct. 29 to 3 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 1 to replace several stormwater pipes, according to the Virginia Department of Transportation.

Residents and businesses within the closure area, emergency vehicles and school buses will have access to the closed portion of Hazelwood Drive; however, they will not be able to go beyond the points of pipe replacement in either direction (see the attached map for the locations of the four pipes and the days crews are scheduled to work on them).

Through traffic will be detoured via Fleetwood Drive, Aden Road (Route 646) and Carriage Ford Road back to Hazelwood Drive.

Hylton pounds out steady beat in win over Battlefield

A sigh of relief undoubtedly filled the air in Hylton’s locker room after Friday’s 16-13 win against Battlefield in a Virginia high school football matchup at C.D. Hylton High School in Woodbridge.

The Bulldogs’s train of momentum chugged along the final-quarter tracks with a 7-0 point differential.

The Bobcats moved ahead of the Bulldogs 13-9 to start the fourth quarter.

Battlefield got the better of the action throughout the first half, owning a 7-3 margin over Hylton at halftime.

The Bulldogs opened with a 3-0 advantage over the Bobcats through the first quarter.

Patriot tenderizes Osbourn

A full-on assault for a Virginia high school football victory on October 19, as Patriot disposed of Osbourn by a 41-20 score.

The Pioneers moved in front of the Eagles 14-6 to begin the second quarter.

Patriot’s offense pulled ahead to a 31-14 lead over Osbourn at the intermission.

The Pioneers struck over the Eagles when the fourth quarter began 41-14.

Culpeper County escapes Brentsville District

A tight-knit tilt turned in Culpeper County’s direction just enough to squeeze past Brentsville District 28-21 in a Virginia high school football matchup.

Culpeper County fought to a 14-7 intermission margin at Brentsville District’s expense.

The two squads were set up for a frantic finish when the final quarter began with a 28-21 tie.

Both teams were scoreless in the first and third quarters.

Freedom pulls python act on Potomac Senior

Freedom controlled the action to earn a strong 48-26 win against Potomac Senior High School on October 19 in Virginia high school football action at Freedom High School in Woodbridge.

Overtime is just fine for Gar-Field in win over Forest Park

Extra football seemed a fitting climax to an exciting game as Gar-Field upended Forest Park 24-21 on October 19 in Virginia high school football at Forest Park High.

Tough tussle: Charles J. Colgan steps past Woodbridge

The margin for error was so small it only piqued the anxiety.

But Charles J.Colgan didn’t mind, dispatching Woodbridge 27-21 in Virginia high school football on October 19 at Woodbridge High.

Stonewall Jackson mauls Osbourn Park in a strong showing

There was no magic, just a manhandling as Stonewall Jackson mashed Osbourn Park 47-6 in a Virginia high school football matchup at Stonewall Jackson High.

The Raiders drew first blood by forging a 34-6 margin over the Yellowjackets after the first quarter.

The gap remained the same through the third quarter as neither team could dent the scoreboard.

Both teams were scoreless in the second quarter.

Flexing muscle: Manassas Park rolls over Warren County

Manassas Park trekked through Warren County’s defense like General Patton’s tanks poured across North Africa 49-28 in a Virginia high school football matchup at Warren County High.

Massaponax takes victory lap over Stafford

Massaponax played the role of Thor, dropping its hammer on Stafford during a 31-6 beating in Virginia high school football action on October 19 at Massaponax High.

The start wasn’t the problem for the Indians, who began with a 6-0 edge over the Panthers through the end of the first quarter.

Massaponax’s offense jumped to a 21-6 lead over Stafford at halftime.

The Panthers’ determination showed as they carried a 24-6 lead into the fourth quarter.

North Stafford pushes the mute button on Brooke Point

North Stafford’s defense throttled Brooke Point, resulting in a shutout win 49-0 in a Virginia high school football matchup.

The Wolverines darted in front of the Black Hawks 14-0 to begin the second quarter.

North Stafford registered a 42-0 advantage at intermission over Brooke Point.

Both teams were scoreless in the third quarter.

Norfolk rains down on St John Paul The Great Catholic

St John Paul The Great Catholic got no credit and no consideration from Norfolk, which slammed the door 33-20 in a Virginia high school football matchup.

Norfolk registered a 13-7 advantage at halftime over St John Paul The Great Catholic.

The Bulldogs darted to a 27-20 bulge over the Wolves as the fourth quarter began.

The Bulldogs put a bow on this victory with a strong final-quarter kick, outpointing the Wolves 6-0 in the last stanza.

Both teams were scoreless in the first quarter.

South County pounds out steady beat in win over Robinson

It wasn’t pretty, gut-tough wins usually aren’t, but South County wasn’t going for style points.

A victory will do, and it was earned 17-14 over Robinson during this Virginia high school football game.

The Stallions took control in the third quarter with a 17-14 advantage over the Rams.

Neither side could break ahead as the two teams began in a tense 7-7 duel in the first quarter.

Both teams were scoreless in the second and fourth quarters.

Editor’s note: Potomac Local relies on data from the Scorestream app to produce our weekly football wrap up. Download the app today contribute to our reporting. 

WOODBRIDGE — Ten brand new buses are parked in Woodbridge waiting for their new colors.

The new commuter coaches built by Motor Coach Industries today are a bright white, but soon they will don the new colors of a rebranded OmniRide.

Gone will be the teal color scheme of the old buses. Instead, these new coaches will display the transit agency’s new logo with royal blue and bright green colors.

OmniRide Board of Commissioners Chairman Ruth Anderson said the shiny new buses will have less room for display ads as to not cover up the new design.

A total of 37 new buses at a cost of $22 million have been ordered to replace older coaches in the fleet. They’ll all be wrapped in the new design, said OmniRide Executive Director Bob Schneider.

It’s the agency’s first major bus replacement order in the past five years. Riders won’t notice much of a difference between the new and old buses. And like their predecessors, they run on diesel but will emit fewer emissions.

The transit agency earlier this year decided to stop marketing itself as the Potomac and Rappahannock Transportation Commission, or PRTC, opting instead to adopt the branding for its commuter bus service itself OmniRide across the organization.

Other services like OmniLink local bus service in Prince William County, Manassas, and Manassas Park, and OmniMatch ride-sharing service are now all known as OmniRide.

In the coming months, OmniRide plans to roll out a new real-time bus tracking service that will allow riders to see the location of their next bus on their smartphones. OmniRide is currently testing the technology already in use by other local transit agencies in Fairfax County.

PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY – (Press Release) Free training on the management of universal wastes and hazardous waste disposal will be held on Monday, October29 from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Fairfax County I-66 Transfer Station/Recycling Center.  Northern Virginia facility managers, property managers and apartment managers that deal with disposal of fluorescent light bulbs, batteries, thermostats, or electronics should attend this training sponsored by AERC.

A complimentary lunch and snacks are included.  Space is limited. Register online at www.knowtoxics.com.

Attendees will learn about:

• Universal and hazardous waste generator requirements (presented by VA DEQ)
• Commonly generated hazardous and electronic waste
• Options to help you stay in compliance

A tour of the I-66 Transfer Station/Recycling Center will also be provided.

The Prince William County Solid Waste Division encourages Prince William businesses, schools, churches and other property and facility managers to attend. This training is open to all Northern Virginia area businesses that want to gain a better understanding of hazardous waste and used electronics disposal.

For additional information, please contact Debbie Spiliotopoulos, Northern Virginia Regional Commission (NVRC),  [email protected], or John Birkholz, AERC, [email protected]

To register for the training, visit www.knowtoxics.com and click on the More tab. 

WOODBRIDGE — Prince William County supervisors on Tuesday unanimously approved a special use permit for Virginia Solar- a  developer based in Henrico County – to begin construction of a solar farm in Nokesville.

Nokesville Solar will be located on 331 acres at what was previously known as Dixon Farm on 13204 Warrenton Road.

This is the first utility-scale solar plant of this size in Prince William County, according to Matthew Meares, the principal at Virginia Solar.

The solar farm will cover 225 acres and generate 45,000 MWH (megawatt hours) a year, enough to power 3,300 homes a year.

“So while this is a quite large county, it will make a dent in the overall energy usage, at least a little bit,” Meares told members of the Prince William County Board of Supervisors.

During Meares’ presentation, he elaborated on several concerns that the project has been met with. One is the formation of a “heat island”  – an area, according to the EPA, that has built up the heat and is warmer than its surrounding areas, thus causing dangerous air quality. This won’t happen, he explained.

“There’s airflow and vegetation all around these solar panels to mitigate any heat effect,” Meares said.

Meares mentioned that solar panels don’t require much water – there is enough rainfall produced by Virginia’s climate to clean them regularly. There will be some water used during construction to keep dust minimal, but other than that, Meares said, the grass underneath the solar panels should “mitigate our erosion concerns and help stabilize the soil”.  

Virginia Solar will also be responsible for obtaining a stormwater permit required by the county.

When it comes to the look of the solar farm, the visual impact should be minor. The solar panels rotate throughout the day tracking the sun and never reach a height of more than 13 feet, Meares explained.

Solar panels are made out of a non-reflective material to absorb the sun and they will leave a native tree buffer all around the project, and there won’t be any high voltage lines.

Meares said they chose Prince William County for several reasons.

“We came here because of the available electrical infrastructure. It was a relatively flat piece of land, there’s very little truly flat land in Virginia but it’s relatively flat. And we’re in close proximity to all these data centers and those are major buyers of solar-generated electricity,” said Meares.  

Meares asked that the Board waive a requirement that Virginia Solar pave Warrenton Road.

“The reason for this is the project’s not going to generate any long-term traffic,” Meares said.

Other than initial construction, the solar farm will only require someone driving to the property once a month. The project will be going through several months of state and stormwater permits and then will hopefully begin construction towards the end of next year.

At the end of the life of the project, the solar panel components will be removed and the land will be returned to green space or another authorized use. Virginia Solar will then provide the county a bond providing funding to pay for the decommissioning of the property.

A total of 106 acres of unused land on the project site could be turned into trails that connect to adjacent Nokesville Park.

Tiziana Bottino, the founder of the Greater Prince William Climate Action Network, spoke in favor of the solar farm.

“I applaud the solar proposal in Prince William County, which will help stabilize our grid, contribute to the economy, and bring long-term jobs and result in cleaner air and a cleaner environment in our county,” Bottino said.

Paula Clements, a Fairfax County resident who is also the chair of the Climate Reality Project in Northern Virginia, said “I applaud your county for taking the lead. I’m jealous.  Fairfax County has been working on it and we don’t seem to be making much progress.”

“Air doesn’t just stay in your county, it comes over to Clifton as well,” Clements added.

Others, including Virginia McIntosh, the current owner of the farm, spoke in favor of the solar farm and the remaining acreage being used for the public.

Some supporters of the solar farm were concerned about the unused acreage being removed from the Agricultural and Forestal District, a program that offers benefits to property owners.

The overwhelming support that the solar farm was met with was a pleasant surprise to Meares, who said he is used to seeing that many people – more, in fact – in opposition to solar projects.

He said that citizens usually are worried about the visual impact, noise during construction, and the concern about the end of the life for the project. He also said that some counties get worried that you’re going to cover the whole county with solar panels and take over the land.

“I’ve never had that many people in support of a solar project before,” Meares said.

Kathy Baxter’s cancer diagnosis has been a journey.

Like many journeys, there have been twists, turns, peaks and valleys along the way.

Kathy and her husband of 43 years, Bruce, were longtime Northern Virginia residents who had moved to Puerto Rico.

It was there, she first detected the symptoms which lead to her breast cancer diagnosis.

“I noticed some retraction and I felt a lump right underneath my nipple” said Kathy. “I called my doctor and we scheduled an ultrasound. It came out fine. The doctor said it was because I have fibrocystic breasts.”

That was in December 2016. The decision was made to follow up with another scan in six months.

Kathy soon found things had drastically changed during that period. In July 2017, she received results from her Puerto Rican lab the test was “probably malignant” and she was referred to a surgeon. 

Kathy says over the next few months a combination of events lead to obstacles in her care — everything from a language barrier in her doctor’s office to Hurricane Maria and then Hurricane Irma, which devastated the island causing major power outages and nearly brought air travel to a halt.

The decision was made; Kathy would come to the states. After a turn of lucky events that Kathy credits as a “miracle,” she finally arrived in Northern Virginia in October 2017.

“When I got here in October, I was shell-shocked,” explains Kathy. “My sister lives in Stafford and she gave me the name of her oncologist.”

Kathy’s multi-disciplinary team of Sentara doctors helped her through the difficult transition. Dr. Hamed Khosravi, Medical Oncologist, Dr. Robert Cohen, Breast Surgical Oncologist and Dr. Susan Boylan, Radiation Oncologist worked together to develop a plan of attack after her diagnosis of Invasive Ductal Carcinoma which had gone to the lymph nodes. In addition to that diagnosis, her doctors discovered Kathy also had Triple Positive breast cancer.

Dr. Susan Boylan, a Radiation Oncologist for Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center and Medical Director of Potomac Radiation, explains, “This type of breast cancer tends to grow and spread faster than others. It is particularly aggressive and requires additional treatment.”

With that knowledge in hand, the team created a treatment plan. It was decided Kathy would do six cycles of chemotherapy, take several weeks off, get a lumpectomy and then proceed to radiation.

“Each tumor is unique. Each woman’s tumor has its own biology,” explains Dr. Boylan. “We try to personalize an individual’s treatment based on the biology of their tumor. Everybody’s treatment is going to be unique to them. It’s very personalized medicine. It’s not cookie cutter.”

Baxter, a former nurse, admits it was a lot to take in.

“I like to be able to process things. On top of that, I don’t like pain and I don’t like needles,” she said.

While her family has been by her side through it all, Kathy credits Oncology Nurse Navigator Deana Henry with helping her work through the process.

“Deana is such a delightful person. She would make her rounds through the infusion center and really seemed to care about me and my health,” she said. “She’s very friendly, she’s a very positive person and she was very sympathetic. She’s been a tremendous support.”

After chemotherapy, Kathy had her lumpectomy. She spent the summer recovering and is now working through radiation. As she nears the end of her treatment, she’s looking to the future and returning to Puerto Rico.

She offers this advice:

“Take each moment as it comes. Live for the moment!” she says smiling. For any woman who finds a lump, her advice is more serious: “If anyone shared they had any sort of lump, I would insist on a biopsy, because I can’t help but think had they biopsied my lump in Puerto Rico in December, they would have found my cancer. That would have changed everything, that would have put me a year ahead of it. But I’ve just been so pleased with my care here at Sentara. They were responsive when I called and just so professional, it made a hard time a little easier.”

To learn more about the Sentara Cancer Network and find the care team for you or your loved one, call 1-800-SENTARA or visit Sentara.com.

HAYMARKET  – (Press Release) University of Virginia Health System has opened a new neurosurgery clinic to bring high-quality, convenient neurosurgery care to Haymarket.

UVA Neurosurgery Haymarket is led by neurosurgeon Nevan Baldwin, MD who will initially focus on treating patients with spinal conditions using the full range of treatment options, including minimally invasive surgical procedures.

“We’re pleased to be adding Dr. Baldwin’s expertise to our neurosurgery department, and we’re excited to offer patients in Northern Virginia easier access to our neurosurgery team,” said Mark Shaffrey, MD, chairman of UVA’s Department of Neurosurgery. “Our hope is the Haymarket clinic will be convenient for patients wanting to receive the quality care provided by UVA, but not able to take the time to travel to Charlottesville.”

As Baldwin cares for patients in Haymarket, his goal is to create “a maximum patient experience.”

“When patients leave the office, I want them to feel that their entire experience was as good as it could possibly have been,” he said. “This means that they were treated promptly and with respect at the reception desk, that they were seen quickly, that they received a thorough, attentive exam and that they left with a clear explanation of their condition and a good understanding of the next steps.”

Baldwin said that Haymarket Medical Center is an ideal location for this neurosurgery practice. “We will be delivering care in the context of a forward-looking community hospital with strong operating room staff and the resources to provide the clinical support we need,” he said.

Select patients may need to have their surgeries performed at UVA Medical Center in Charlottesville, Baldwin said; if that is required, they will be able to receive their preliminary testing and follow-up care in Haymarket.

The clinic is located at 15195 Heathcote Blvd., Suite 150, in Haymarket on the campus of Novant Health UVA Health System Haymarket Medical Center. For more information, please call 571.636.6000 or visit uvahealth.com/locations/profile/uva-neurosurgery-haymarket.

Manassas – (Press Release) Olivia Hajioff and Marc Ramirez, the Marcolivia Duo, join Music Director James Villani as the featured viola and violin soloists for Symphonic Journey, the Manassas Symphony’s season-opening concert at 7:30 pm on October 27, 2018 at the Hylton Performing Arts Center. They are playing Max Bruch’s Double Concerto in E minor, Op. 88.

Marcolivia — featured many times on NPR’s “Performance Today” and “Front Row Washington” — is an award-winning violin and violin/viola duo who performs music from all styles and periods from Baroque artists to works by 20th-century composers, including folk music, virtuoso works, and their own arrangements.

The MSO concert program also includes Gioachino Rossini’s famous William Tell Overture, as well as the not often performed, but very beautiful Orchestral Suite No. 1 in D minor by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. 

Season subscriptions and individual concert tickets are available from the Hylton Center Box Office or by calling 888-945-2468. All children and student tickets (through college) are free.

Founded in 1992, the Manassas Symphony is the winner of the 2015 American Prize for Orchestral Performance, Community Division and is a Resident Arts Partner of the Hylton Performing Arts Center in Manassas. The all-volunteer orchestra plays five concerts a year and is involved with many educational and civic events throughout the community. For more information on the Manassas Symphony, visit its website at ManassasSymphony.org.