A recent discussion on Our Schools Facebook page revolved around salaried elected officials. We noted the differences between the Board of County Supervisors (BOCS) and the School Board Representatives (SB Reps)

The BOCS, meets year round and are paid as full-time employees with benefits. They have offices, staff and expense accounts. Prince William County Schools receive 57.23% of the general revenue funds paid to the county by the taxpayers, yet, PWC SB Reps are considered part time employees.

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I am a supporter of  Prince William County Supervisor Pete Candland. I don’t live in his district  of Gainesville and I don’t care whether he is a Republican or a Democrat. I like him because he has youth and energy, is willing to try new ideas and has the courage of his convictions.

Candland is obviously trying to do the best possible job for his constituents and I am sure for all of Prince William County. So, when I received an email from Candland this week, I was impressed with all the information he provided, but it left me with some questions we need to think about.

The current hot topic (at least one of them) is the tax rate. The Board of County Supervisors voted to limit the tax rate for the following year to $1.158, which equals about a 5.5% increase in our taxes. A fair number of Supervisor Candland’s constituents were willing to pay more taxes if we also cut spending (32%) and most of his constituents wanted to spend that increase on education. (66%)

I, of course, am wondering what that means to me and my neighbors. Assuming my property value increase is already noted, that would mean about an additional $150.25 this year. So, even though the rate is lower, my taxes increased. (If you want to check your property taxes and real estate value, click here)

Still, it doesn’t seem like much of an increase, does it? This is what my real estate tax it looks like over the last ten years:
2003- $2553.22
2004- $2965.84
2005- $3110.76
2006- $3418.38
2007- $3520.02
2008- $3316.80
2009- $2507.64
2010- $2410.06
2011- $2615.30
2012- $2661.62
2013- $3011.70

You can draw your own conclusions about how my real estate taxes have only increased less than $500.00 in ten years. You can do your own calculations and see how your taxes increased, too.

Then, we should add the taxes on our vehicles, ($3.70 per $100.00 value), the license fees,  the taxes we pay locally on our utilities, and the portion of the sales tax that goes to PWC (of the 6% sales tax, 1.7% goes to PWC)., and don’t forget the storm water levy and the fire levy that increase this year.

I’m not mathematician enough to give you the total amount of taxes we pay to Prince William County each year. I am going to say we are “low use” residents, though. We have no children in school and have not had any for 20 years.

I have never called the fire department and have only called the police department once in 28 years as a resident. I don’t use any social services or public transportation, and since I have never been a commuter, I’ll say I use local roads less than average.

We have no children using parks or ball fields or swimming pools and we don’t use those amenities. We don’t use libraries, as we have great computers that help us find all the information we need.

So, what’s my point? I don’t know! All those numbers make my head hurt! What if all the other childless couples rallied and said we want better transportation! We want clean, safe neighborhoods! We want businesses to generate jobs so we don’t have to commute!

Oh, and we want your children to have a great education. We just don’t want to pay for it!

You can view the entire Candland document, titled “Update on your Taxes”

If you watched the BOCS on February 25, you may have seen the debate raging to set the advertised tax rate for the 2015 fiscal year.

I spoke at the afternoon session, not wanting to be involved in the likely long evening session during citizens’ time. There was a lot of heartfelt commentary from citizens ranging from the PWC Arts Council who joined forces with many other non-profits, like ACTS and Habitat to show the connectivity and importance of the wide range of services and necessity for access to all in our community.

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Last week I read this Police Report:

Assault by Mob

February 15th at 6:38PM, officers responded to Potomac Mills Mall located at 2700 Potomac Mills Cir in Woodbridge (22192) for a large fight near the food court.

On Tuesday, I watched the Prince William Board of County Supervisors Meeting and heard Chairman Corey Stewart state this incident is unacceptable and rightfully noted this was an embarrassment to Prince William County, and called for mall management to meet with county officials to work on a solution so this doesn’t occur again.

Five days later, I saw this follow up  press release from PWCPD on Facebook:

Malicious Wounding | Assault by Mob | Gang Participation *ARRESTS– On February 18th, detectives from the Gang Unit were able to identify three suspects involved in the fight which occurred at Potomac Mills Mall located at 2700 Potomac Mills Cir in Woodbridge on February 15th. Detectives further learned that the altercation stemmed from an ongoing dispute between two rival street gangs. Following the investigation, detectives obtained detention orders against the three male juvenile suspects. All three suspects were located and arrested without incident on February 19th.

Arrested on February 19th: [Juveniles]

Two 15 year old male juveniles, both of Woodbridge and a 14 year old male juvenile of Triangle All three juvenile suspects were charged with 1 count of malicious wounding, 1 count of assault & battery, and 2 counts of gang participation
Court date: unavailable | Status: all are being held at the Juvenile Detention Center

I spend a lot of time reading about education. I’m not only concerned how my tax dollars are spent I genuinely want the best for the next generation of adults. I’m sure most of you feel the same.

So, I have to wonder when we talk about SOLs, Common Core, and the 12^th High School, are we really missing the big picture? Is the violence in youth escalating or not? Should our primary concern be STEM classes or maybe something much more basic? Are parents teaching respect for others or has that become lost in the commute and the hustle to get our kids to practice, to band, to the game?

Please know I am not talking about all parents or all children. I am friends with many parents I respect and admire who are doing it all. They are teaching respect, ethics and morals at home. It is evident in their daily lives and in their community.

I watched two powerful videos this week. For the sake of those children who do not fall in the above paragraph, please watch and share your thoughts with me.

The first is a PSA, titled Children See, Children Do It’s powerful and frightening and you may think it has nothing to do with Prince William County or education, but I think it does.

The second movie is more subtle. Norwegians React to a Freezing Boy. The translation is here, although you really don’t need it. My first reaction to this movie is that in America, we would be calling the police or Social Services or someone else to solve the problem. Most of us would be afraid to act, afraid our action would be misconstrued or we might be sued or perhaps accused of inappropriate behavior.

It has been many years since my children were young. I know things change and while I think I do a good job of keeping current, it’s not the same as “being in the game”. Share your thoughts with me.

I survived the frightful hip replacement surgery and want to share a couple of observations with you.

I knew Potomac Hospital when we moved here in 1988. The original facility was built in Woodbridge in 1972 and was one of the last hospitals built from a grass roots movement and not by a business. In 2009, Potomac Hospital merged with Sentara Healthcare and it’s been a powerful change agent since then.

Also operating in Woodbridge, the Potomac Heath Foundation, is now a private, independent organization devoted to wellness and continues to work with many not for profit organizations dedicated to the health of our community. I had only used the hospital facility once or twice, availing myself of the emergency services after an allergic reaction to bee sting. The hospital seemed adequate, they did diagnose, treat and save my life, so that seems a good recommendation.

Sentara is a network of health care facilities with 125 years of non-profit history. You can read lots about Sentara on this page including a video, but none of what you read will explain the experience I encountered. Beyond the absolute luxury of a large private room is the team of nurses, doctors, assistants, students, technicians and other employees who all seemed determined to cheerfully take care of me.

Every single employee was friendly, efficient and interested in my comfort and care. I never once had the feeling that anyone was there just to earn a paycheck. Whether it was the employees who brought my meals or the doctor visiting rounds, every single one seemed to recognize me as a person, not just a patient.

The nurses were the best. A constant parade of professionals, checking vitals and medicating me also managed to spend a minute or two in conversation.

Every aspect of care is covered, beginning with a pre-op class hosted by the vivacious Ada who described what the surgery would entail and what would occur during and after the procedure.

If you read my previous post on this topic, you know I was terrified! I’m not going to tell you there was nothing to be scared of. Hip replacement is a big procedure. Yes, lots of people have it done and yes, it has a high rate of success. It is also a painful recovery. I don’t think I can describe how much it hurt after the surgery without sounding whiny, but even with great doctors and very fine drugs, that first trip out of bed to the bathroom burns a bright memory for me!

It’s been about ten days. I am definitely on the mend. I have a physical therapist who comes to my house three days a week and is teaching me how to strengthen the muscles I need to support my new hip and avoid dislocation.

My husband (now unemployed for one year) was pressed into service as caregiver. This is a complete reversal of roles for us and I don’t think either of us ever envisioned what would be required. Fortunately, we both have a pretty good sense of humor and a plus for him is that he drinks beer. I’m sure that’s made this experience more bearable for us both.

Tremendous thanks to my friends and family who have called and visited, send cards, brought flowers and made me feel loved and treasured. Special thanks to Peter Lineberry who honored me with a gift that was inspired!

Thanks to you readers who gave me words of encouragement and I promise next week’s post won’t be any more about me, me, me!

One of the first rules of writing is to write about what you know. I confess, I do not follow that rule very often. If I did, I probably would have exhausted my writing skills three years ago, when I first began writing for Potomac Local. I tend to write more about what I feel and then attempt to add some factual, useful content and some helpful links so by the end of a column I know more than when I began. I hope it works that way for you when you read it, too.

Sometimes the “knowing” and the “feeling” are not compatible. Monday morning, I am going to Sentara hospital for a hip replacement. Almost everyone knows what that is, but I suspect not many of us actually know how that is done unless you are one of the 285,000 patients per year who undergo this surgery.

This page from the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons will tell you nearly everything you need to know about the procedure, including why the surgery is done, how surgery is performed, pre-operative and post-operative care, and quite a few illustrations.

If you are brave, here’s a video, but I’ll give fair warning, it is graphic. I’m telling you that because those words accompany the video. I didn’t watch it! None of those pages can tell you how hip surgery feels. Hopefully, I will be well sedated and I won’t be able to tell you how it feels either.

I can tell you how I feel emotionally in one word: “Panicked!”

One of the hold-over issues from an unstable childhood is the need for control. When I was young, I had no control over my situation. Some yelling, screaming parent would culminate a tirade with, “I can’t handle her anymore! You take her!”

The next thing I knew, I was being sent to live with mom or dad or my grandparents.

I spent a lot of time being scared and unhappy, and as an adult, I recognize I felt that way because I was powerless. Even today, some forty five to fifty years after that turmoil, some traits still sneak out. I can’t stand uncertainty. I hate to feel like I am not in control.

One of the things that makes me a terrible automotive passenger or causes me to be afraid of flying is that I have no control of the situation. I am putting my safety in the hands of someone else.

So, you can probably imagine how I feel about surgery. I’m entering an environment where I am totally dependent upon others. I’ve met my surgeon twice and looked him up at the Virginia Board of Medicine Practitioner Information. My doctor has no actions against his practice and has paid no claims. That tells me he hasn’t been sued for malpractice. There was no information listed regarding his awards or credentials, but based on about 24 minutes with him on two occasions, I like him!

So, wish me luck. I’m sure I’m going to have one of those 95% successful surgeries. (I am assuming I won’t keel over from a panic attack!)

It seems no matter what we do, snow wins! This latest snowfall, forecast to be 4-10 inches, was much closer to the minimum than the maximum.  VDOT was prepared with over 4,000 vehicles to clear snow and treat the 17,000 miles of roads in Northern Virginia. VDOT provided us with a tool to track the snowplows and ascertain where the plows had been and would be going. You can search (after 2” of snow) by zip code or street or address.

That VDOT page has everything needed to declare war on snow. You can view the mobilization plan, road status and resources right on that page. There’s even a legend to help you identify the many graphics that determine road conditions. With VDOT boasting 4,000 pieces of equipment, we all feel confident that no matter what nature throws at us, we can handle it!

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I had a pretty amazing experience this week when I attended a MIDCO (Mid-County Civic Association) meeting with about 75 other interested citizens!

Why is that amazing? Well, typically the number of citizens attending a MIDCO, NAA, (Neabsco Action Alliance) OLRCA  (Occoquan Lake Ridge Civic Association) or a LOCCA (Lake Ridge Occoquan Coles Civic Association) is around 25 people. There were so many people in the Occoquan Room at the County Center that we had to move to another, larger meeting room on the other side of the building.

The number of residents seemed appropriate to opine on the Pyramid Project, a huge proposed development at the corner of Liberia and the Prince William Parkway. This development is intended for 101 acres of land at a premium intersection dividing Manassas and Prince William County.

The original proposal has undergone a number of changes since submission in August of 2012, most recently updated on the county web as of March 2013. At the MIDCO meeting, Developer Carlos Montenegro brought an even more recent version of the proposal that further reduced the number of residential units.

The project is very tempting, both for the county and residents because the development will include a change to the Prince William County Parkway that will alleviate congestion at that failing intersection at Liberia and the Parkway.  (If you want to learn how VDOT determines a failing intersection, try pages 24 and 25 of this hefty document! )

I think a few things merit consideration:

1. If we change the comprehensive plan as requested we will be removing yet another CEC (Community Employment Center) designation and adding more residential.
2. PWC staff, residents and the developer should also be working in tandem with Manassas because this development will definitely impact the city.
3. While the realignment of the Parkway will provide relief to residents wishing to turn left to go to Rte. 234, It really does nothing for people travelling into the city or turning right on Rte. 28 toward I-66. (The same is true in reverse if you are leaving the city.)
4. The development may be alleviating traffic at that intersection, but it is still adding cars from 300 homes and 400 apartments.
5. While alleviating traffic at that intersection, what about the next intersection or the one after that?

The development promises high end retail, but Virginia Gateway is only 11.3 miles away from the intersection of Liberia and the Parkway. What about the competition to Hastings Marketplace right across the street? What are the impacts on schools? The developer is proffering this massive piece of roadwork…there likely won’t be any school proffers from this deal.

One of the reasons Neabsco Action Alliance was founded is to work collaboratively across districts with residents, business and government. We are part of group called FOCAL (Federation of Civic Associations for Land use). We invite residents to contact us, come to our meetings, attend the planning commission hearings, attend (or watch online) the Board of County Supervisors meetings, sign up for e -notifications, or any other way you choose to become engaged in your community.

You may think this development doesn’t impact you. I assure you it does. We may live in seven different districts in Prince William County, but we are all connected by roads, jobs, schools, healthcare, land use, transportation, and that one indefinable esthetic; community.

There is one thing I want you to remember. If you weren’t one of those 75 people, we don’t know what you think of this proposed development. You can tell me in the comments. I’ll be sure to share them.

The Prince William Committee of 100 on 1.9.2014 presented a distinguished panel of experts and an outstanding moderator for the January program, “Can You Rest in Peace in Prince William County?”

Charlie Grimes, a professor at George Mason and the Chair of Prince William Conservation Alliance ran a tight ship as five guests were allotted eight minutes each to summarize their positions.

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Wednesday night I attended the Prince William Committee of 100 forum. The program, titled, “Can You Rest in Peace in Prince William County?” was in direct response to recent events involving the discovery of burial sites at the proposed location of Prince William County’s 12^th high school near the intersection of Va. 234 and Hoadly Road.

I have been interested in this topic since the flurry of activity that began (for me) in early November and wrote about it once, then again when I recapped the information that led to this point in a previous post.

Since then, I became friends with Carolyn Lynn on Facebook. I was finally able to see her face to face, when we arranged to meet at the C-100 forum. She’s a charming woman, well-spoken and knowledgeable in local history and genealogy.

We got better acquainted over dinner and were fortunate to share the table with Julie Langan, Acting Director and State Historic Preservation Officer, Virginia Department
of Historic Resources. Carolyn was able to ask Langan some questions that had been a point of concern and Carolyn and I were both pleased to learn Langan is not the enemy. Both Langan and Joanna Wilson Green, Archaeology Stewardship and Easements, Office of Preservation Incentives, Virginia Department of Historic Resources are sincere and concerned about the way this saga evolved. Yes, the permit to disinter was issued from their department, but they were simply doing their job as designated by state law.

I tried to put myself in Carolyn’s shoes and imagine what it must feel like to know your ancestors had been uprooted and removed from what was surely considered a final resting place at the time of interment.

One of the things we discussed was the comments people made on insidenova.com or the Washington Post. Carolyn said she tried not to read those comments because many were so negative. A feeling we definitely shared is why don’t more people care? The answer to that is probably very simple. The Lynn family is not your family.

I tried to imagine how it feels to be lost from your family and then re-discovered in such a public fashion. I thought about how little we know about the people who come and go from this world. So few of us are actually remembered for long. We are here, we live our lives and we are gone. A few generations pass, and it is entirely possible we are forgotten completely unless you have become famous or notorious.

People like Don Wilson, Director of RELIC and Bill Olson, President, Historic Prince William are joined by devoted volunteers like Robert Moser who spend an incredible amount of time ensuring our past is not forgotten. Folks like Carolyn Lynn and Bill Golden create blogs not only for family history, but to connect the past to the present and help others do the same.

We are an evolving county, with vastly different citizens than twenty years ago. It’s important not to lose track of our past while we continue to build our future.
You can read the recap of the Prince William Committee of 100 meeting here.