Businesses in Prince William County are reminded to complete and file an annual recycling report with the Department of Public Works by February 16.

Section 22-169 of the Prince William County Code requires all businesses and other non-residential properties that produce trash within the county to report on its activities by February 15 of each year for the previous calendar year.  Home-based businesses and businesses located within the incorporated towns of Dumfries, Haymarket, Occoquan, or Quantico are exempt from filing this report.

This information is requested each year so that Prince William County can comply with the Commonwealth’s annual recycling reporting requirements.  The report is completed on-line.  It should only take about 10 minutes and should be completed by the person most familiar with trash and recycling services for the property. The report may be accessed via the Prince William County website, www.pwcgov.org/businessrecycling or you may send an email to [email protected] and you will receive a direct link to the report. 

For Calendar Year 2013 (the most recent year for which data is available), the County achieved a recycling rate of 40.5%.  A 2013/2014 waste composition study conducted at the Prince William Landfill found that 70% of the waste items were actually recyclable resources.  The Solid Waste Division encourages businesses and residents to Reduce, Reuse, Recycle waste appropriately to help conserve natural resources and landfill capacity for future generations.

For more information on the annual businesses recycling report or to learn more about ways to reduce, reuse and recycle waste in Prince William County, please visit www.pwcgov.org/trashandrecycle or call the Solid Waste Division of Public Works at 703-792-4670.

Do you love singing? Do you love singing Broadway musical tunes? If both answers were yes, come join the Woodbridge Community Choir for our spring season! Registration starts at 7:00 PM, and rehearsals continue every Monday from 7:30 – 9:45 PM, at the Lutheran Church of the Covenant, 15008 Cloverdale Road, Dale City, VA. No auditions are required! Registration is $35/season. For more information, please see www.woodbridgecommunitychoir.org or call 703-491-1820.

Interviews are now being scheduled for more than a dozen high-paying health care provider jobs at the rapidly-growing, non-profit Greater Prince William Community Health Center.  Qualified candidates may interview for the provider positions at a Job Fair scheduled in Manassas on January 7, 2015.  

The following full-time, permanent, provider positions are available immediately at our Woodbridge and Manassas locations:

• Family Medical Doctor (2)
• OB-GYN
• Family Nurse Practioner
• Family Physician Assistant
• Certified Nurse Midwife
• Dentist (2)
• LCSW (Spanish-Speaking) (2)
• LCP (Spanish-Speaking)

All of these positions pay a market competitive salary and include a team-based productivity bonus.  In addition, these positions pay 80% of health care benefits, 100% of vision benefits, a 3% retirement benefit, and relocation assistance.  These positions qualify for a 4-day work week with 32-paid days off annually. Both Centers practice an integrated service delivery model that includes team-based coordination of patient care for all primary, dental, behavioral, and OB-GYN health care services.  Candidates will appreciate working a reduced schedule on a team that provides comprehensive, one-stop care, and be a part of a mission-driven health care organization in Northern Virginia.    

Interested candidates should email a cover letter, resume, and three-year salary history to [email protected].  Qualified candidates will receive an invitation with details of the event by reply email.  Candidates invited to the event will tour the Center, meet our providers, interview for open positions, and may receive an offer letter on the day of the event.  Space is limited. 

The Greater Prince William Community Health Center is a non-profit, 501(c)3, providing affordable access to integrated and coordinated primary, dental, behavioral, and OB-GYN health services for the whole family under one roof.  The Center will serve 16,000 patients in 64,000 encounters this year.  Medicare, Medicaid, and private insurance gladly welcome. Appointments are available at 703.680.7950 and [email protected].  Additional information at www.GPWHealthCenter.org.

The Prince William County Minority Business Network held its Holiday Social on De

The monthly socials provide an opportunity for local business owners in our community to learn from one another, fellowship, network, and hear from the monthly featured speaker. The December Social featured Mrs. Nicole Chamblin of Visions Productivity Solution in Woodbridge, Virginia.

Chamblin’s presentation stressed the importance of time value, SMART goal setting, and ways to increase your productivity. She empowereded business owners by guiding them through a series of activities, to include: “Vision Correction and Goal Setting,” The Looking Glass Exercise,” and a “Productivity Skill Sheet.” Her presentation provided business owners with a set of tools to implement into their plans for the coming year, and to be overall more productive when bringing their visions to fruition in the New Year!

“If you do not have an accountability partner, get one in your corner. One who will hold your feet to the fire, and help you talk your vision out,” said Chamblin.

Please plan to join us for our Open House, scheduled for January 15, 2015, from 7 – 8:30 p t the Bungalow Ale House on Prince William Parkway. Visit our Facebook page for details.

Did you know, that Mary Kay Consultants all over the United States, host “Adopt A Grandparent” programs during the holidays?

About a month ago, Mary Kay Independent Senior Sales Director Ann Alexis-Hamilton began organizing in Prince William County to support the “Adopt-A-Grandparent” program for senior citizens residing at the Westminster at Lake Ridge.

“This year it came about because I have a new client, Ms. Susan Hadeka, director of nurses at Westminster at Lake Ridge and asked her if we can do the program this year. She connected be with Ms. Laura Krause, activities director at Westminster, who was excited about the program,” said Alexis-Hamilton.

Mrs. Alexis-Hamilton worked with a team of six Mary Kay Consultants, and through the giving spirit of members of the Greater Prince William Community, collected 104 gift donations to spread holiday cheer to seniors at Westminster. The largest organization to sponsor gifts for seniors was the Pi Lambda Lambda chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., with over 30 donations.

The Adopt A Grandparent program is important for senior citizens, as many may not have had visitors over the holidays, and the program creates an opportunity for volunteers of all ages, to spread joy to those who need it most.

“As a small business owner for over 17 years, I believe it is important to give back to our community,” said Alexis-Hamilton. The Adopt A Grandparent program is about giving back to the elderly with: sharing a gift, a smile, and some conversation, but most of all to share the greatest gift of all, love.”

Action in Community Through Service of Prince William County has received a $20,000 grant from the Stafford Hospital Community Benefit Fund located in Fredericksburg.  The grant period is Jan. 1, 2015 through Dec.31, 2015.

This grant supports staffing for the ACTS Helpline, which provides services directed toward crisis and suicide prevention.  Helpline is a 24/7/365 telephone crisis hotline, which is certified for suicide intervention by the American Association of Suicidology. ACTS Helpline also provides Senior Link, a free call reassurance program providing scheduled phone calls to senior citizens or physically disadvantaged shut-ins.

As part of this grant, ACTS is required to:

1. Provide a minimum of 1,000 reassurance calls per month to senior adults and physically disadvantaged shut-ins, as part of the ACTS Senior Link program.
2. Participate in a minimum of 10 outreach activities that will reach a minimum of 150 individuals in northern Stafford and southeastern Prince William counties.
3. Participate and/or support a minimum of six activities with Mental Health America of Fredericksburg, Mary Washington Hospice, and/or Marine Corps Base, Quantico.

The Lake Jackson/Mid-County Lions Club would like to thank all of its patrons who helped to make their annual citrus and shrimp sales a big success.

A special thanks also to Yellow Freight Systems, Food Lion and Ace Hardware for their continued support.

With proceeds from these sales, they will be able to continue their support of Sight and Hearing programs in Prince William County, the Senior Citizens Center of Manassas, Coles Little League, Relay for Life, Fisher House at Ft. Belvoir, PWC Hospital Wellness Center for Diabetes, Project Mend-a-House and ARC of Greater Prince William.

For more information about the Lake Jackson/Mid-County Lions club, contact Lion Russ at 703-791-4545.

On December 11th, members of our community gathered at the Dumfries-Triangle Rescue Squad for “A Community Conversation.”

In light of the Grand Jury decisions in the cases involving Michael Brown and Eric Garner, members of the community gathered to discuss ethnic relations in Prince William County, and how citizens can become more involved in civic engagement opportunities in our communities.

The panel for the Community Conversation included Mr. Willie Toney – Vice Mayor of the Town of Dumfries, Pastor Keith Savage – of First Baptist Church of Manassas and Virginians Organized for Interfaith Community Engagement (V.O.I.C.E.), Ms. Hala Ayala – President of PWC NOW, and Mr. Ralph Smith – Civil Rights Leader and PW NAACP.

During the conversation, participants addressed their concerns in our communities involving the economy, cultural inequities, police relations, diversifying the (political) table, and how we can serve our communities. Citizens were encouraged and inspired to become more involved, and to take on leadership roles in their communities as volunteers, serving as mentors for our youth, increased participation in civic organizations, etc. Vice Mayor Toney encouraged participants to serve on Boards and Commissions in their Towns, as well as on the County levels.

Participants were encouraged to attend Board of County Supervisors meetings, School Board meetings, as well as Town Council meetings, and to make citizen’s comments when necessary. It was mutually agreed that minorities need to have a greater presence at community meetings.

“Make your presence a springboard to your power,” said Pastor Keith Savage.

At the conclusion of the “Community Conversation,” participants committed to bringing forth positive change in their communities by actively engaging in civic engagement opportunities. As a result, a Facebook page has been created to: maintain an open line of communication with participants and serve as a platform to continue dialogue from the event, to discuss potential solutions to systematic issues, and to keep everyone aware of community meetings, and opportunities where our presence and voice are needed.

We may not have all of the answers to systematic issues in our community, but one thing we know for sure: having a healthy dialogue is the first step towards finding a solution. Similar events are being planned throughout Greater Prince William, and citizens are encouraged to participate.

“Community Conversations” will be held quarterly in our community. The next event will be held in the spring, and education will be the topic of discussion.

The National Center for Urban School Transformation has announced that Weems Elementary School is one of 22 schools from across the country chosen as a finalist for the National Excellence in Urban Education Award. Weems was recognized for generating strong test results, high rates of attendance, and excellent student behavior among each demographic group of students enrolled.  “These schools are among the best urban schools in the nation,” stated Dr. Joseph F. Johnson, Jr., Executive Director of the National Center for Urban School Transformation (NCUST), the organization that administers the award program.  

“We are extremely proud of this honor,” said Weems Principal, David Rupert.  “To be among the finalists for this award is definitely due to the incredible Weems staff and students who work very hard towards high achievement.” 

To be eligible for the NCUST Award, urban schools may not have selective admissions policies. The school’s test results must be better than the state average for all students. Also, the school’s test results for every demographic group of students must be better than the state average for all students. All schools must have high attendance rates, low suspension and expulsion rates, high graduation rates, and evidence of excellence in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

“Once again, Weems students and staff have shown what next level achievement looks like,” said Dr. Catherine Magouyrk, Superintendent of Schools.  “Mr. Rupert and his team have created a supportive environment where all students believe in their ability to succeed and all teachers and students do the work required to achieve that success.”

Weems, one of five elementary schools in the City of Manassas, has a learning environment that includes a Talented and Gifted (TAG) enrichment program, which assists each student in identifying their personal talents and gifts.  Students are placed in multi-grade, cross-curricular electives that promote higher order thinking and provide exposure to a wide range of career interests including fine arts, finances, STEM, journalism, culinary arts and more.  Additionally, Weems implemented a successful school-wide uniform program in 2013.  “Our students arrive at school ready to work each day,” said Rupert.  “They know coming to school and doing well is their job, and that is what is represented when they wear their uniform.”

Beginning in early January, each finalist will receive a site visit from an NCUST evaluation team of researchers and practitioners. According to Dr. Lynne Perez, NCUST Associate Director, “We recognize schools that are great for every group of students served. Our focus is all about results: Are all students learning?” NCUST received applications from thousands of urban schools throughout the nation. Of those received, Perez says 22 presented superior evidence of excellence and were named finalists.

After the site visits are completed, NCUST will announce the award winners in March. Each winning school will receive $2,500 and will be featured at the National Excellence in Urban Education Symposium to be held in Dallas, TX, May 20-22, 2015.

When asked about the key factors that are common across all high-performing schools, Dr. Johnson is emphatic, “It’s all about curriculum, instruction, and climate. Great urban schools offer challenging, rigorous curricula. They expect students to excel, even when they might have difficult home situations. Furthermore, in great urban schools, teachers provide a caliber of instruction that helps students learn challenging content. Instruction is clear, focused, and engaging. Teachers present content in ways that make it easier for students to relate and understand. Finally, the school climate is safe, positive, and supportive. School administrators and teachers work together to establish a climate that engages parents, supports students, and breeds success.”

Construction is substantially complete on a new 4-lane bridge on Route 1 over Aquia Creek in Stafford County.  

 Weather permitting, the new bridge will open to traffic on Saturday, Dec. 20. If inclement weather postpones aSaturday opening, the bridge will open to traffic on Monday, Dec. 22.

Northbound and southbound Route 1 will be reduced to one lane at various times on Friday and Saturday as workers prepare to open the bridge:

Friday, Dec. 19

Northbound Route 1, single lane closure, 9 a.m. – 9 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 20 (overnight lane closure)

Southbound Route 1, single lane closure, 6 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Saturday, Dec. 20

Northbound and southbound Route 1, single lane closure, 9 a.m. –  bridge opening in late afternoon

The $5.7 million Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) project replaced the original bridge, which was built in 1925 and was structurally deficient.

The new bridge’s higher elevation will lessen the risk of flooding on Route 1, the primary alternate route to Interstate 95.

The project contractor was Corman Construction, Inc. Periodic lane closures will be required in the spring as VDOT performs final pavement markings when temperatures are warmer.

The bridge is opening seven months ahead of schedule. The original project completion date was August 2015.