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Gina Ciarcia has been an educator most of her life, whether it was as a tutor, homeschooling her five children, or teaching history at a private Christian school she has dedicated a good portion of her life to education and sees it as an important role in shaping the people of a nation. 

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The runway extension for the Stafford County Regional Airport is slated to be completed by September 2022 according to airport director James Stover.

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If you don't live in Stafford County, it will cost you $25 to park at one of the area's busiest summertime destinations.

Stafford County will implement a $25 charge to non-residents for parking at the Historic Port of Falmouth, a popular swimming hole on the Rappahannock River. The county Board of Supervisors approved the new fee during its meeting on Tuesday, June 7, 2022, in a five to two vote.

The county will begin charging the fee on July 22, 2022, and plans to hire new parking attendants weeks before the new fees.

The fee is expected to pull in $283,750 in revenue to fund parking management, trash cleanup, and public safety and to recoup the costs of frequently rescuing swimmers on the river.

The county will install credit card machines for parking staff to collect fees from park-goers from out of the area. A lack of robust and available wi-fi at the park could hamper electronic fee collection. The county has discussed options to deal with this issue, including tablets with cellular capability.

A handful of residents spoke to the Board on Tuesday, questioning the fees and the possibility that it may detract potential tourism from the area at a time when the county is trying to improve its tourism industry after the coronavirus pandemic. Karen Brown of Falmouth supported the parking fees. The money will help to clean up trash that has been accumulating at the beach, she said.

Others were concerned about equity with other beach locations in the county, like Aquia Landing Park on the Potomac River.  Griffis-Widewater District Supervisor Tinesha Allen questioned why Aquia Landing wasn't getting this consideration and instead asked for a comprehensive plan that could be applied to all of the beaches in the county. County staff said that the parking and safety issues were not as dire at Aquia as at Falmouth.

Rockhill District Supervisor Crystal Vanuch said illegal activities are occuring at the Port of Falmouth Park. Through pictures taken by a drone owned by the Stafford County Sheriff's Office, Vaunch showed evidence of illegal parking made by a resident living near the beach. Vanuch also pointed out an ice cream truck which she claimed did not have permits to operate in the county or pay county meals taxes.

Vanuch then called upon the Planning and Zoning Department to look into the matter.

George Washington District Supervisor Tom Coen voted against the fees and said that the fees were indeed a tax and didn't want to unduly tax potential out-of-town visitors. Coen offered an alternative motion which would study the situation more closely with input from various organizations including local public safety and environmental groups which would hold off implementation of the fees until next year.

This alternate motion was defeated 4-3 in favor of the parking fees.

County leaders started debating the parking issue at the park before the coronavirus pandemic. During the pandemic, reports of park-goers parking in residential areas and causing traffic issues and illegal parking in some nearby areas, like Carter Road, have been cause for concern.

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A presentation was made during a meeting of the Stafford County Board of Supervisors regarding a survey regarding the livability of the county.

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The Manassas Park City Library is moving to its new home in the recently redeveloped Park Center.

The library will move to 100 Park Central Plaza, from its Blooms Park location, at 9701 Manassas Drive, which has served as a transitory home since it opened in 2020. The new library location in the heart of Manassas Park will share a building with the Manassas Park Governing Body and the recently opened Jirani Coffeehouse, which is slated to open in 2023.

"The new Park Central library will be one of the most important elements of our new downtown. It will not only serve our community with full library services but will become a destination place for our downtown along with the co-located Jirani Coffeehouse, our new plaza with splash pad, and the future Cinema Cafe across the street," said Manassas Park City Manager Laszlo Palko in a release.

The Blooms Park location will close at 5 p.m. on June 18 and will reopen in its new location at 10 a.m. on August 22. The library plans to make temporary programs and pop-up services available to customers at the Manassas Park Community Center between June and July.

The new Park Central library location is the latest piece of the puzzle in Manassas Park's development of its downtown area.

Potomac Local News recently reported on an agreement made in May between Jirani Coffeehouse and the governing body for a 10-year lease for a new coffee shop on the first floor of the still under construction Park Central building.

Jirani has become a staple in the area since opening its first location in nearby Manassas in 2016. The cafe has become a staple of the city's downtown scene hosting live music, improv comedy shows, and even playing host to international TV crews during the 2016 Presidential election.

The Governing Body also approved a lease in January with Cinema Cafe, which will be located across the street from the Park Central building. The location will be the theater chain's first location in the Northern Virginia area and will act as an anchor to the downtown development.

Cinema Cafe will have similar food and drink offerings to Alamo Cinema and Drafthouse chain theater which has its own Northern Virginia location in Woodbridge. The new Cinema Cafe location is slated to open in 2024.

For more information on its move and upcoming summer programs, visit manassasparkcitylibrary.org.

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Prince William County does not need to review plans for a coal ash landfill at Possum Pont, county documents state.

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[caption id="attachment_176280" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Fairfax, Prince William] announces a new data center lab at the Northern Virginia Community College Woodbridge Campus. [Photo: Rick Horner][/caption]

Since 2009 Congressman Gerry Connolly (D-VA) has represented the 11th congressional district which included Prince William County and Fairfax County. Connolly has been in the seat through the district's growth as well as its trying times such as the aftereffects of the 2008 recession and the recent coronavirus pandemic.

With the recent redrawing of the 11th district, Prince William County is no longer within Connolly's purview and has become part of the seventh congressional district which is now within the 7th and 10th congressional districts, represented by Abigail Spanberger (D) and Jennifer Wexton (D).

Voters will head to the polls on Tuesday, November 8 to vote for who will fill these seats for the next two years.

Potomac Local News had a chance to talk with Connolly about his experiences representing Prince William County which include some of the highlights and concerns during his tenure.

PLN: What were some concerns you had coming into office?

Connolly: One of the first things we had to do was reopen the office so people could come to me and tell me about their concerns and issues. The office hadn't been opened in a long time and I wanted my constituents to have a place to come to us and tell us about their issues.

One of my first goals was to reopen Featherstone National Wildlife Refuge. It had been closed for about 20 years and I wanted to open it back up to the public.

PLN: What were some of the successes that you had during your time representing Prince William County?

Connolly: We managed to get hundreds of millions of dollars for the county for various programs and projects, but one of the things that I'm most proud of is helping to elect Democrats across the county. There are many more Democrats now on the county's Board of Supervisors and there are more democrats representing Prince William County in the General Assembly in Richmond.

My former district director Briana Sewell was elected to the House of Delegates, she was wonderful and we do miss her up here but she's going great work down in Richmond.

PLN: What were some of the challenges that you had to work to overcome, especially during the great recession and the coronavirus pandemic?

Connolly: Well, I came in after the recession but we did have to deal with some of the aftereffects. As far as the pandemic, I worked with the Prince William County School Board to save 300 jobs through the Recovery Act.

We also worked hard to keep everyone in the county up to date about the ongoing pandemic, even though there were no face-to-face meetings for a long time we were having them online all the time. It was important to let the people know what was going on and get the information out to them.

PLN: Are there any regrets you may have, anything you weren't able to accomplish?

Connolly: I don't have any regrets, but one thing I hope happens sooner than later is for Metro to come down to the area. The county's population is growing and most of those people will be working in Northern Virginia and Washington D.C., without public transit to get them up there the county is going to become a bedroom community.

There's been slugging down here and that's helped but having that public transit will go a long way. That lack of public transit was a problem during the pandemic as well, people who had to drive home from Northern Virginia took an hour longer than my constituents in Fairfax. They'd have to jump on to watch the meetings just as they walked through the door at home.

PLN: Will there be anything you'll miss about the county, any places you liked to go to or any events?

Connolly: Well, there is this used bookstore in Woodbridge that I liked to go to called 2nd and Charles, they have a great selection of books and there's a lot to look at. I'll certainly miss the parades on the Fourth of July and Martin Luther King Jr. Day. I'll miss going to the various houses of worship on Sundays and meeting with my constituents.

PLN: Any final words of the matter?

Connolly: For nearly 14 years I've been honored to represent Prince William County in Congress. In times of celebration and in challenges we've always come together. Collectively we have transformed our County into a more inclusive, economically competitive, and progressive community. I am proud of that work and have been fortunate to make so many friends along the way. While my congressional district boundaries may change next year, my commitment to Prince William County will not end. This is my community, these are still my neighbors, and our important partnership will continue.

This interview was edited for length and brevity.

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The Fredericksburg City Council will consolidate its conflicting rules on dog kennels to allow them within the city. 

The newly revised ordinance will allow dog kennels to operate in Fredericksburg but will not be allowed to operate in residential zones or transitional or downtown commercial zoning districts. A particular use permit would be required for kennels that would seek to operate in commercial shopping districts.

The ordinance also requires kennel operators to insulate the kennel so no sound or odor could escape, and any open pens or runs would have to be at least 75 feet away from a property line. The kennels could also include retail and grooming services. Those services could only make up a quarter of the total gross floor area of the building from which the kennel operates.

Before the consolidation, the city's code had two differing ordinances regarding dog kennels. The more recent ordinance came about due to the Unified Development Ordinance. Adopted by Fredericksburg in December 2013, the UDO sought to create more transparent and more straightforward land-use regulations and review processes by merging the city's zoning and subdivision ordinances.

According to the UDO, the ordinance allows kennels to operate in several zoning districts, including industrial, commercial, and creative maker zones.

The city council adopted this particular ordinance in 1997. It had been periodically enforced by the Fredericksburg Police Department or by Animal Control when it was determined that a home had too many dogs and created noise, health, and sanitation issues in residential areas. However, the ordinance conflicted with an earlier ordinance prohibiting dog kennels from operating anywhere in the city. 

According to information provided by the city, Fredericksburg could expect to see an increase in money generated due to the retention and expansion of pet care services in the city. The information references a report from the U.S. Census Bureau, which stated that such steps resulted in a 60% increase in pet care establishments between 2007 and 2017, which resulted in a doubling of revenue to $5.8 billion.

Stafford County is also looking into updating its comprehensive zoning ordinance. An amendment was made to the ordinance in 2019, allowing commercial kennels to operate in agricultural zoned districts.

The Fredericksburg City Council will have a final read of the revised ordinance at its next meeting on June 14.

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The Fredericksburg Chamber of Commerce has announced a fashion show to be held by the Network of Enterprising Women.

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[caption id="attachment_161166" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Rains that fell on December 4, 2020 led to a washout on Brooke Road in Stafford County. [Photo: Jason Pelt][/caption]

The Stafford County Board of Supervisors is considering holding off the land acquisition needed for an emergency access road for Brooke Road until the summer.

The county has been planning to create the access road as a means of travel when Brooke Road gets washed out by floodwater from Accokeek Creek. The plan requires the creation of a road that would connect Windermere Drive and Crestwood Lane.

Much of the area required for the road is private property and would require the county to acquire the land from its owners.

The reason given for this pause on the project came from a presentation made earlier in the meeting by Kyle Bates, the residency administrator for the Virginia Department of Transportation. Bates laid out recent improvements that were made to the s-curve in Brooke Road, between Raven Road and Maplewood Drive.

According to Bates, VDOT has replaced drainage pipes and installed a well with a pump to remove water from the roadside ditch without interfering with traffic. The pavement was also overlaid with asphalt to raise the road surface six inches.

While these improvements aren't expected to fix the problem permanently, Board members, especially Aquia District Supervisor Monica Gary, who campaigned on the issue last year, want to see if the new maintenance will show results in alleviating the worst issues that would require the access drive. VDOT reported that the improvements held up well against last week's rains, and the road didn't have to be closed.

According to county documents, the emergency access path on Brooke Road will cost over $1.5 million. The county would be reimbursed for some of the construction costs by VDOT to the tune of $750,000. This is separate from the main project that raises the S-curve by five feet which would prevent the road from getting washed out by the floodwaters.

The S-curve raising project will cost $7.5 million, with all funding coming from the county. Stafford County is seeking $4.8 million in grant funding from FEMA to offset costs. Richmond-based Timmons Group has been commissioned by the county to design the elevated S-curve. The whole project is estimated to be completed in five years.

The constant flooding of Brooke Road has been a source of aggravation for the county, which cuts off 450 households when the road is closed to traffic and leaves those residents with no way in or out of the area. Brooke Road has been closed 18 times over the last four years due to flooding. The worst came in 2020 when it was closed eight times.

The county anticipates that once the land acquisition is needed for the emergency road is complete, construction will begin in Spring 2023 and be finished by the end of 2023.

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