The effort to extend the runway at Stafford Regional Airport got a major boost from the Federal Government.
Senator Tim Kaine announced the airport would get $5.5 million in federal funding. The airport is currently working to extend the airport’s runway by 1,000 feet to attract more planes to the region.
Stafford County
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The Stafford Board of Supervisors has voted to use funds that were received through the American Rescue Plan Act.
A total of $15 million in funding was received from the Federal Government in May as part of the latest coronavirus bailout and will be used for a number of projects ranging from public utilities to providing broadband internet access.
The biggest project on the list will provide fiber broadband for all county facilities to improve network security and resilience for the county’s system. Stafford also plans to set aside some of the newly installed fiber for commercial broadband providers to serve unserved residents and businesses to encourage economic development in the area.
The county will spend over $6 million on broadband, using $3 million from the form of a prior ARPA payment, as well as $2 million from the second installment to help fund the project.
Plans are also in the works for improvements in utilities and road work for the local Patawomeck Tribe. Stafford will install 2,100 feet of new water and sewer lines in order to improve water quality conditions. The tribe, headquartered at the Duff McDuff Green Memorial Park, at 75 James Ashby Parkway, just of Route 3 in Falmouth, is currently using an alternative septic system at the Duff House which would limit any growth and development of the land.
Stafford also plans to provide a new access drive and parking area that will run from James Ashby Parkway to a cul-de-sac near the Duff House. The tribe leases the house and the surrounding land for their developing museum and tribal center. The combined total of the utilities and new path and parking lot will come to $1.5 million in funding provided by ARPA.
Stafford will also invest $1.7 million for new sewer improvements for the first phase of improvements near Cedar Lane and Courthouse Road, west of Interstate 95. The project is slated to develop over two million square feet for commercial and industrial use.
One project, the Merritt at Austin Run, is expected to break ground in that area taking up 400,000 square feet of commercial space. The project is expected to be done by 2022 and provide 400 jobs as well as generate $650,000 per year in real estate tax revenue.
A second phase is expected to be built upon the first phase that would help residents along Cedar Lane who has issues with failing drain fields and poor water quality. The County estimates that this could help 14 homes in that area. Stafford estimates that $1.5 million in funding would be needed for this second phase of utility development.
Finally, Stafford plans to give funding totaling $300,000 to the United Way in order to help Stafford residents with rent and mortgage assistance who have been hindered by the pandemic.
The county is expected to receive the second installment of funding totaling another $15 million later this year.
Vandals targeted a trail at Jennie Dean Park, spray painting “BLM” and “FTP.”
The acronyms represent Black Lives Matter and a phrase showing disrespect to police officers, respectively. Those two markings, as well as a third, “I can’t breathe,” the last words from George Floyd, a Minneapolis man who was killed at the hands of a police officer last year, were found on two of the utility boxes on a trail inside the park.
The ball is in motion to transform the heart of Stafford County into a livable, walkable downtown.
The Board of Supervisors approved its own request to rezone six acres of land next to the county’s iconic courthouse, clearing the way for 306 new apartments, as well as commercial space for retail stores and restaurants. In a rare move, the Board of Supervisors initiated the rezoning request, which, now that it is approved, allows developers to construct a more densely packed urban development than the original plan of building multiple one-level office buildings.
The Manassas City Council will create a new commission to help it keep a closer eye on legislators in Richmond.
A new Legislative Committee will develop an agenda to showcase the city’s wants and needs and present it to elected members of the General Assembly. The committee will also monitor legislation for review and recommend revisions for existing legislation. The committee will consist of three members of the City Council appointed through the Council’s rules of procedure.
Stafford County Circuit Court Judge Victoria B. Willis tossed out a lawsuit aimed at delaying a decision by the Stafford Board of Supervisors to rezone six acres of land next to the county’s iconic courthouse, known as Fountain Park.
A private developer is seeking a zoning reclassification to build up to 94 apartment homes on the property, more than currently allowed.
A Spotsylvania woman died in a crash on Route 2 in Stafford County on Friday, July 2.
At 8 a.m., Jasmine Rennish, 18, was driving a Ford Mustang was traveling in the right northbound lane in the 1700 block of Jefferson Davis Highway, near Stafford Hospital, when it entered standing water, the Stafford sheriff’s office says.
As if all of the talks about the coronavirus vaccination over the past six months wasn’t enough, now Virginia lawmakers have changed some vaccination requirements for children in schools.
The Rappahannock Area Health District (RAHD) is reminding families of changes to school immunization requirements effective July 1, 2021. These changes include:
The Fredericksburg Comic and Toy Show will return to the Fredericksburg Expo Center after being canceled last year due to the pandemic.
“We’re super excited to bring the show back to Fredericksburg. It feels like a family reunion, we haven’t seen people in a long time, and now we get to shake hands, give hugs, the whole bit. It’s exciting to see the world come back to life.” Mike Federali, showrunner for the event.
Although pandemic protocols have been lifted, the show’s runners are taking extra precautions to ensure the safety of those attending the show. According to their guidelines, attendees over the age of two will be required to wear masks and expect attendees to keep six feet apart and avoid direct contact with strangers.
In addition, they’re asking for attendees to wash their hands, and surfaces will be cleaned before and during the event.
The show will have guests from the comic world, such as writer Gary Cohn, who created DC Comics character Blue Devil and artist Bill McKay. The show will also hold a cosplay contest and a video game tournament where participants will play Injustice 2, which stars characters from DC Comics.
The show will also have vendors from the local and regional areas to sell comics, books, memorabilia, and other items related to comics and toys.
The show will begin at 10 a.m. on Saturday, July 10, at the Fredericksburg Expo Center, at 2371 Carl D. Silver Parkway in Fredericksburg. General admission tickets are for sale for $10 on the show’s website.
