George Washington Regional  Commission: On January 22, 2024, the Joe and Mary Wilson Community Benefit Fund of Mary Washington Hospital Foundation announced grant funding applications approved by the Mary Washington Hospital Board of Trustees. In this round of funding, the George Washington Regional Commission (GWRC) received a grant in the amount of $45,622 to support the ongoing efforts of sustainable housing affordability solutions in Planning District 16.

The awarded grant from the Joe and Mary Wilson Community Benefit Fund will support staffing of the Regional Housing Assembly (RHA). Staffed by the GWRC, the RHA serves as an advisory group of volunteers in partnership with multi-sector stakeholders related to health and housing. Composed of an overarching consortium of housing interests, the RHA enhances regional coordination, communication, and effectiveness toward overall housing conditions in Planning District 16.

Three Fredericksburg parks were under the microscope at a recent public meeting where planners were there to hear suggestions for the future of these parks in the wake of floods, funding shortfall, and changing outdoor trends.

“You’ve got to live with the flooding,” said environmental engineer Elizabeth Lardner, who went between the three displays talking to the residents and city staff at the Dorothy Hart Community Center. “We’re working with Mother Nature,” she said, referring partially to a recent flood that put Old Mill Park underwater when the Rappahannock River overflowed its banks in early January.