Author: Kelly Sienkowski

I'm the Fredericksburg Regional Editor, covering Stafford and Fredericksburg. If you have tips, story ideas, or news, send me an email!

Fredericksburg

Roadwork on Learning Lane Will Cause Traffic Detours Starting Mid-August

By Kelly Sienkowski
Learning Lane (Photo: Google Maps)

Learning Lane will close for emergency storm water pipe repairs beginning August 16, 2024. The detour route will direct drivers southbound on Patriot Highway (US 1), turning left onto Harrison Road, left onto Lafayette Boulevard, left onto Hotchkiss Street, right onto Rose Avenue, and left onto Pender Street to reach Learning Lane.

Parents, staff, and school buses for Lafayette Elementary and Walker-Grant Middle School are advised to use Lafayette Boulevard to Pender Street for arrivals. Exiting traffic should use Pender Street to Rose Avenue, then Hotchkiss Street at the traffic light.

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News

Stafford Board of Supervisors Adopts New Meeting Schedule

By Kelly Sienkowski

Stafford County’s Board of Supervisors has amended its by-laws to create a new meeting schedule. The board will have three meeting days, two of which are planned business days. The third meeting day will be a dedicated Work Session meeting as needed. Meetings will also begin at 5 p.m.

The proposed changes were first reviewed by the board on June 4 and again on July 2. All board members were able to participate in the discussion and review the changes. According to Stafford’s news release, “this transparent process, which also allowed public input on the change, was designed to ensure your voice was heard and that you were fully informed about the decision-making process.”

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Fredericksburg

CRRL Director Martha Hutzel to Retire After Nearly 40 Years of Service

By Kelly Sienkowski

After almost forty years, Library Director Martha Hutzel will retire from the Central Rappahannock Regional Library (CRRL) on Sept. 30. Hutzel was appointed director in 2016 after several prior positions at different library branches, including branch manager and head of circulation.

Hutzel said she was inspired to become a librarian “by [her] mother, who is still living at 102, and by [her] father, both of whom loved books and reading and set that example for their 13 children.” After completing chores on the dairy farm she grew up on, she and her siblings were allowed to read whatever they wanted. In the 1980s, Hutzel moved to Fredericksburg and immediately got a library card and part-time job at the Fredericksburg location. She said the staff “welcomed me with open arms and I fell into them.”

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News

Stafford Board of Supervisors Approves Rezoning of 133 Acres from Residential to Industrial

By Kelly Sienkowski
Plans for Belmont Park off of Route 17

Stafford’s Board of Supervisors approved a rezoning request for 133 acres from Residential to Industrial at their July 2 meeting.

Belmont Park, LLC requested to rezone 133 acres from R-1 (Residential) and A-1 (Agriculture) to M-1 (Light Industrial) and M-2 (Heavy Industrial). The proposed site layout includes light industrial warehouses in the northeast near the VDOT parking lot and a large, heavy industrial distribution warehouse with smaller warehouses in the southwest.

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News

Falmouth Elementary Principal Resigns

By Kelly Sienkowski
Dr. Sallie Burch

Falmouth Elementary School’s parents received an email on July 10 from Dr. Sallie Burch advising that she would resign as Principal effective July 31. Dr. Burch said after 12 years in Stafford County Public Schools, stating briefly that she would be leaving to pursue a new opportunity.

Burch served as Assistant Principal at Falmouth from 2012 to 2015 before becoming Principal in 2015. Burch thanked the community for their support through the years, saying, “The school will continue to thrive and achieve great things with the continued dedication of this wonderful community.” According to her LinkedIn profile, Burch also serves as a part-time Longwood University Supervisor for student teachers.

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Fredericksburg

Road Resurfacing to Begin on Route 3 in Fredericksburg

By Kelly Sienkowski
[Photo: VDOT Fredericksburg District]

 

Starting Sunday, July 28, drivers on Route 3 westbound in Fredericksburg will experience brief overnight delays and a temporary rough ride as crews begin resurfacing the road and updating lane markings. The work will stretch from Gateway Boulevard to Woodlyn Drive and is expected to take about two weeks.

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Fredericksburg

Fredericksburg Names New Economic Development and Tourism Director

By Kelly Sienkowski
Josh Summits

Josh Summits has been appointed as the new Director of Fredericksburg’s Economic Development and Tourism Team, starting mid-August. Summits has fifteen years of experience in urban redevelopment, community revitalization, and economic development. He joined Stafford County’s government in 2019 and most recently served as Business Development Manager.

Summit said he has “spent the past five years working with Stafford to bring transformative economic development projects to the Fredericksburg Region. Each locality offers diverse and unique attributes and opportunities. The City of Fredericksburg has a robust list of amazing amenities and a thriving historical downtown. My core focus and energies will target corridor redevelopment, and expanded business attraction and retention efforts.”

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Fredericksburg

America’s Oldest Fair Opens July 26

By Kelly Sienkowski
2023 Fredericksburg Agricultural Fair (Instagram: FxbgFair)

Fredericksburg’s annual Agricultural Fair kicks off Friday, July 26 and runs until Sunday, Aug. 4. The Miss Fredericksburg Fair Pageant will be held Thursday, July 25.

The Fredericksburg Agricultural Fair’s website says it was established in 1738 and is the oldest fair in both Virginia and the United States. The range of entertainment has varied over the years, from Williamsburg comedians in 1752 to horse racing by the Fredericksburg Jockey Club in 1774, then hot air balloons in the 1880s. The fair has weathered interruptions with no events from 1881-1886 and during the Great Depression in the mid-1920s. It was revived in 1948 by a group of local farmers and the Jaycees, a non-profit community organization.

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Fredericksburg

CSX Attributes Train Derailment to Human Error

By Kelly Sienkowski

The train that derailed on Saturday, July 20, 2024, at Cobblestone Square, an apartment complex in Fredericksburg, had been experiencing mechanical issues, so the train was parked at the city’s Virginia Railway Express (commuter rail) station before moving to its final destination in Richmond. The two crew members on board did not secure the train cars properly, resulting in five cars derailing, said Randy Marcus, a CSX spokesman during a press conference on Wednesday afternoon.

Marcus said the crew’s whereabouts at the time of the derailing are not known, and the company plans to have them complete additional training and education programs. No one was injured in the derailment.

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Fredericksburg

Viva Las Vegas: Fredericksburg SPCA’s Fur Ball Gala Returns

By Kelly Sienkowski
SPCA Fur Ball Gala 2023 (Bryant Cox Photography)

The Fredericksburg SPCA Fur Ball Gala will be held Aug. 24 at the Fredericksburg Convention Center.

This year’s theme is Old Vegas, in the style of the Rat Pack. In addition to a silent and live auction, the 6 p.m. event will feature specialty cocktails and entertainment casino games.

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