News

Full traffic stops on Interstate 95 are scheduled to continue this week and next week for bridge work as part of the 95 Express Lanes Fredericksburg Extension project.

Weather permitting, crews will resume operations to lift and install bridge beams for a replacement American Legion Road overpass. This overpass is under construction at mile marker 138 in Stafford County, between exit 140 (Courthouse Road) and exit 136 (Centreport Parkway).


News

Police are looking for a public drunkard who they said escaped their grasp.

On Tuesday, October 4, at 8:02 p.m., officers were called to the Bayvue Apartments located in the 1400 block of Bayside Avenue in Woodbridge to investigate suspected illegal drug use. A man detained by apartment security personnel for suspected illegal drug use turned out to be the suspect, police said.


News

Two developers will breathe new life into Woodbridge with a new development containing nearly 1,000 new homes and retail shops.

The mixed-use Riverside Station will sit on 19 acres on Route 1, across from the Woodbridge VRE station. When complete, a series of condo buildings, street-level shops, a small park, and landscaped areas will replace Station Plaza, home to B-Thrifty and Astoria Pizza, and the old Cowles Ford dealership, which has sat empty for 30 years.


Event

Join us for a delightful Sunday afternoon at the BlackRock Center for the Arts as Cruise Planners Beth & Rod present a special travel-inspired matinee featuring the beloved film Under the Tuscan Sun.

Date & Time: Sunday, May 31 | 3:00 PM – 6:00 PM


News

The department lost its dog, Ruby, at 11:40 a.m. Tuesday, October 4. Ruby came in contact with an electric fence in the area of Mountain View Road and Guy Lane, said Department spokesman Ryan Wilbur, and was later found lying on the porch of a nearby house.

The department had not said if Ruby was involved in a search for a suspect or if she was conducting training when she touched the fence.


News
[caption id="attachment_182798" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Pennys Used Auto Parts on Minnieville Road in Woodbridge caught fire [Photo: Prince William fire and rescue][/caption]

Penny's Used Auto Parts has started a GoFundMe to raise funds for its recovery after a devastating fire.

The Archie Family, the owners, and operators of Penny's, are asking for 100,000 to help rebuild the business. The fundraiser has received $650 in the four days since it has been online.

Penny's was founded in 1956 by Henry and Anne Archie as the first used car parts junkyard in Woodbridge. Penny was Henry Archie's nickname, which became the business's name.

Penny's was built on the land owned by the family since the 1900s and is one of the first black-owned businesses in the area. The business was passed on to the founder's son Richard who works alongside his daughter Shannon and two other members of the Archie family.

"We've made auto parts affordable for our community and made it possible for people with older cars to keep their cars on the road because a lot of yards cater to the newer vehicles," says Shannon Archie. 

Penny's has also historically donated cars to single mothers and low-income families and money to local charities like boys' and girls' clubs, baseball, football, and soccer teams.

A report of fire at the used auto parts store located at 13059 Minnieville Road in Woodbridge was reported at 12:17 a.m. on September 28. The Prince William County Fire Department fought the blaze but was unable to save the building, which is a total loss. 

The fire is currently under investigation by the Prince William County Fire Marshal's Office. Donations can be made to the Archie Family's GoFundMe page.


Business

The clock is ticking for businesses in Prince William County, which must complete and file an annual recycling report with the Department of Public Works by Saturday, October 15.  

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Business
[caption id="attachment_182874" align="aligncenter" width="600"] [Photo by Zbynek Burival on Unsplash][/caption]

Two companies aim to build solar farms in the Hartwood and Falmouth districts in Stafford County.

The Stafford County Board of Supervisors and the Planning Commission held a joint meeting to hear details on the proposals. Members of both bodies had concerns about the facilities based on issues at other solar farms.

The first facility, Enon Road Solar Farm LLC, a project of Florida-based company EsaSolar, would sit on about 16 acres off of Enon Road and Truslow roads, according to documents provided by Stafford County, generating enough electricity to power about 600 homes.

The website for the Enon Road facility offers a timeline where key events are tentatively scheduled to move the project forward. The project's applicants hope the county will approve the development this year to enter an Interconnection Agreement with Dominion Energy as part of its Shared Solar Program, an electrical subsidy program for the poor.

If approved, The Enon Road project developers hope to begin construction of the facility in 2024.

Another company, Kinglet Solar Farm LLC, has also applied to the county to build a 44-acre facility that would generate power for 660 homes and sit off Truslow Road near Interstate 95. This facility would also be part of Dominion Power's Shared Solar Program.

The plans for Kinglet's facility are in their early stages. No company did not include a construction timeline in its plans.

Board of Supervisors members expressed concerns regarding potential hazards that could affect the solar facilities. Griffis-Widewater District Supervisor Tinesha Allen said stormwater runoff could make the ground beneath the solar collectors softer and endanger the soil integrity.

Applicants said that building retaining walls that could prevent stormwater runoff from the collectors is a possible solution. A stormwater retention area is marked in the concept plans for the Enon Road facility.

Elected leaders are also concerned about the fire risk, specifically with the facilities' storage batteries. Stafford County Administrator Randy Vosberg said fire suppressant technology would be installed in the storage batteries. According to Vosberg, this has become a standard practice with solar facilities.

The Enon Road and Kinglet Solar Facilities are not the first time that Stafford County has dealt with the question of solar power. Potomac Local News reported earlier this year an offer to install solar panels on the roof of North Stafford High School.

Nearby Spotsylvania County has also been getting in on solar. Sustainable Power Group constructed a 500-megawatt solar farm in the Wilderness area of the county in 2020. The farm had met resistance from residents since the project was announced in 2017 due to the large amount of land that the farm takes up.

Members of the Stafford County Board of Supervisors plan to send the matter down to the Planning Commission so that a subcommittee can be created to set standards for the facilities.

The Planning Commission will update the Board of Supervisors on the matter at its second January 2023 meeting, which has yet to be scheduled.

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