Manassas City Council

Schools

Tensions rise at joint Council, School Board meeting on Jennie Dean

By Caitlyn Meisner
Manassas Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Kevin Newman

The Manassas City School Board and Council held a joint meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 20, 2024, to discuss future plans for the new Jennie Dean Elementary School following the Board’s design approval on Feb. 13, 2024.

Council and board members met to move the process along and hopefully reach an agreement on a Special Use Permit (SUP) the School Board must obtain from the City Council before school construction may begin. Obtaining an SUP will move the decision to approve the designs and construction to the Planning Commission and then the City Council for a vote.

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News

Manassas City Council applauds Public Works 2023 achievements, seeks clarification on electric vehicle infrastructure and recycling initiatives

By Potomac Local News

Manassas City Public Works Director Steve Burke presented the annual report for the Public Works department to the Manassas City Council on February 13, 2024. The report highlighted the department’s achievements in 2023 and outlined plans for the future.

Burke, who started in his new role in January 2024, began by acknowledging the contributions of the department’s staff, including Scott Horan, assistant director Steve Schrank, fleet manager Mike Morgan, streets supervisor Doug McCauley, traffic control supervisor Glenn Martin, building and grounds manager Tim Fitzwater, and refuse and recycling coordinator Colleen Burroughs. He provided an overview of the department’s responsibilities, which include maintaining streets, fleets, buildings and grounds, solid waste, and traffic signals, with a total of 58 employees and a budget of approximately $24 million.

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Schools

Manassas City Council and School Board set to address education infrastructure, Jennie Dean Elementary School development

By Potomac Local News
Manassas Mayor Michele Davis Younger speaks at a ribbon cutting outside the John Conner III Public Safety Facility.

On February 20, 2024, the Manassas City Council will meet to discuss matters regarding education infrastructure and the development of the Jennie Dean Elementary School.

The agenda for the meeting encompassed various topics, including updates on the construction progress of the new Jennie Dean Elementary School. Furthermore, council members deliberated on the current condition of the existing school building and explored potential uses for the former Jennie Dean Elementary School building.

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News

Manassas councilwoman praises interim city manager, high employee satisfaction

By Uriah Kiser

Manassas City Councilwoman Theresa Coates Ellis provided insights into the ongoing search for a new city manager and discussed the results of a recent city employment satisfaction survey.

According to Coates Ellis, the city’s current state has significantly improved, with Police Chief Douglass Keen serving as the interim city manager. “They’re a lot better now with Chief Keen on board as the interim. That was the best thing we could have, mean to get through a very, in my opinion, unstable time.”

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Prince William

Public input sought for Route 28 study; County considers bypass project amidst uncertainties

By Uriah Kiser

The Prince William County Department of Transportation and the Prince William County Planning Office are gathering public input for a multimodal corridor study on Route 28 in the Yorkshire area.

This study, funded by an $80,000 grant from the Metropolitan Washington Council of Government’s Transportation Planning Board, explores cost-effective alternatives to enhance multimodal travel options over a two-mile stretch of Route 28.

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News

Manassas City Councilwoman Theresa Coates Ellis discusses budget priorities, challenges ahead

By Uriah Kiser
Coates Ellis

As the Manassas City Council is fresh off its retreat to Airlie Hotel and Conference Center in Warrenton and set to begin budget talks, Manassas City Councilwoman Theresa Coates Ellis emphasized distinguishing between wants and needs when making decisions that impact the community. She stressed that council members serve as stewards of taxpayer money and must prioritize choices for the betterment of the community.

“When it comes to the budget, we have to look at wants and needs,” Coates Ellis stated. “We’re going to go through the budget highlights from last year to see where we are and where we’re going. There will be some wants and needs brought up from the departments.”

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Traffic

Purple streetlights frustrate residents, councilwoman

By Uriah Kiser
[Photo: Photo by Julian Hochgesang on Unsplash]

Manassas City Councilwoman Theresa Coates Ellis recently addressed the issue of replacing purple-colored streetlights in the city.

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Manassas data centers coming online will link to Dominion power supply following city outages

By Uriah Kiser
[Photo: American Public Power Association/Unsplash]

Anna Davis, the acting director Anna Davis briefed the Manassas City Council on the state of the city’s power grid. 

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Manassas power outages spiked 20% in 2023

By Uriah Kiser
[Photo: American Public Power Association/Unsplash]

Manassas residents will get an update on the state of its utility system.

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Schools

School, fields, and electricity topics at a year-end Manassas meeting

By Lynn Forkell Greene

Manassas City Councilwoman Theresa Coates Ellis held an end-of-year wrap-up discussion focused on rebuilding Jennie Dean Elementary School and the potential loss of open park fields.

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