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Vaccine mandate issued after School Board orders meeting room cleared

By Uriah Kiser
Residents kicked out of a Prince William County School Board meeting call elected members "tyrants" working to silence public opinion.

The school superintendent announced that the more than 11,000 teachers and employees of the Prince William County Public School division must get a coronavirus vaccination or submit to weekly testing. 

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A new savings account could help fund growth near Stafford Regional Airport

By Rick Horner
Stafford Regional Airport Terminal [Photo: Rick Horner]

The Stafford County Board of Supervisors will consider creating an Economic Infrastructure Fund that will secure future funds for infrastructure improvements along Centreport Parkway, near the Stafford Regional Airport.

Conceptually, the fund would be used as a savings account that would use a portion of the county's tax revenue to support future growth and development in the area where a new 200,000 square foot Amazon fulfillment center will open. 

The new center is expected to create at least 100 full and part-time associate jobs and potentially hundreds of driver opportunities.

The Centreport area has long been targeted by the county's Community and Economic Development Committee as an area with potential for both industrial and distribution businesses. 

According to county documents, the fund model is based on the use of future tax revenues as opposed to other options such as Community Development Authorities, which raise funds through additional taxes.

Such authorities, as well as proffers, are considered to be examples of bad incentives when trying to attract new private investment.

While the county considers the current infrastructure in the Centreport area adequate to support real estate and personal property, the committee realizes that it may be overwhelmed by potential economic development.

According to county officials, the main concerns would be stress on roads and other infrastructure by increased commuter travel and the presence of new residents in the area. They say the savings account could allow the county to use tax revenue for such infrastructure projects as roads, water, sewer, fiber, and other infrastructure needs.

The economic development committee plans to present the fund concept at a future meeting of the county's board of supervisors. The committee meets monthly inside the county Government Center on the first Tuesday of each month.

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Stafford at a crossroads with Belmont-Ferry Farm Trail

By Rick Horner

The Stafford County Infrastructure Committee has a choice to make regarding the Belmont-Ferry Farm Trail system's final phase.

Since 2019, the committee has been working towards completing the sixth and final phase of the project, which would add to the already two-and-a-half long trail from Route 3 at River Road and end at the Ferry Farm Shopping Center in the George Washington District.

However, the county has run into complications from topography issues, land acquisition, and the Virginia Department of Transportation approvals that may be difficult to achieve.

If the county decides to move forward with the construction of the trail segment, the expectation from VDOT would be to begin the effort by the end of 2020. 

The first option would be to construct the trail and align it along Old Dairy Lane to the CSX railway tunnel along Naomi Road. The trail would cross Route 3 at Jett Drive from Naomi, running along the north side of Route 3 and ultimately ending at the Ferry Farm Shopping Center.

Should the county make this decision, it would require $775,340 in additional costs to the project, that funding is expected to come from the Federal Transportation Alternatives Program. 

Known also as TAP, this program came about with the signing of the Fixing America's Surface Transportation Act by then-President Barack Obama in December 2015. The county's application for funding with the program is currently under review with the Federal Highway Administration.

The other option would be to cancel the project and repay $130,000 to the program.

The decision is expected to be taken up at the next Stafford County Board of Supervisors meeting as new business on September 21.

When complete, the Belmont-Ferry Farm trail, linking the historic Belmont Plantation with the President George Washington boyhood home, will provide residents and visitors with more than two miles of paved hiking trail through southern Stafford County.

The trail cuts through the Historic Port of Falmouth Park, a popular swimming hole on the Rappahannock River. 

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Transit agency offers prizes for those who go car-free, work from home

By Press Release

OmniRide, in partnership with Commuter Connections, is asking residents to pledge to be car-free on September 22, 2021. On this day, the agency would like residents to forgo commuting alone by car and instead choose to either use public transportation, carpool or vanpool, bike, walk, or telework from home.

Car Free Day is a worldwide event that encourages greener methods of travel. Commuter Connections hosts Car Free Day in the Washington, D.C. region to bring awareness to the benefits of travel options such as transit, bicycling, and walking; and also telework for people who can work from home.

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Report: Virginia is 10th most vaccinated state

By Potomac Local News
A Prince William County Public Schools teacher receives a coronavirus vaccination at Unity Reed High School outside Manassas. [Uriah Kiser/PLN]

By Tyler Arnold | The Center Square

Virginia is the 10th most vaccinated state when considering vaccines for a variety of diseases, according to a report published by the financial website WalletHub.

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Bags now subject to search at Prince William School Board meetings

By Uriah Kiser
Parents filled the seats at a Prince William County School Board meeting on September 1, 2021 to protest proposed changes to citizen public comments at meetings, and the school division's forced masking policy for children.

You won’t be hearing your favorite band take the stage at a major concert venue, nor will you be boarding a flight. 

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New county center would connect veterans to government benefits

By Uriah Kiser
The James McCoart Building at the Prince William County Government Center. [Photo by Uriah Kiser/Potomac Local News]

More help for veterans could be coming to Prince William County.

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Civil Air Patrol honors Woodbridge man with Senior Chaplain of the Year Award

By Press Release
Miner

Virginia Civil Air Patrol’s Chaplain, Lieutenant Colonel Timothy Miner, a resident of Woodbridge, was recognized with the 2021 Senior Chaplain of the Year Award at CAP’s national conference last month.

Chaplain Miner serves as the Wing Chaplain for CAP in Virginia.  He is responsible to the commander for providing religious and spiritual support to over 2,000 adults and middle and high school-aged cadets that serve their communities.

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Grants to fund historic murals in 11 Stafford County school buildings

By Press Release
Colonial Forge High School

The Stafford Education Foundation (SEF) will partner with the Stafford Museum and Cultural Center organization to celebrate and build community awareness of local history in Stafford County Public Schools (SCPS).

The collaborative partnership, formed in March 2021, brought together board members of SEF, members of the Stafford Museum and Cultural Center, SCPS administrators, and leadership from SCPS’s Office of Equity and Accountability and learning and Organizational Development Departments. The competitive historic mural grant program has provided more than $40,000 to fund mural projects that highlight Stafford County’s history.

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