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Issue 117
Friday, May 20, 2022
Prince William County
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Dear Neighbors,
Recently, I have been involved in many inspiring and interesting things across our County. I spent an evening with our dedicated educators, saw residents and businesses come together to make a real impact, took part in an event focused on an important health issue, discussed the County's future with local businesses, toured three very different facilities, attended a government office open house, honored those who served, and celebrated funding for an organization serving them.
I encourage you to read the Chair's Calendar section below for more details. It is a great way to learn new things about our County. With so much to offer and exciting things to come, I know you'll agree, it's a wonderful time to be in Prince William County.
In Service,
Chair Ann Wheeler
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Community Leader's Dinner | |
Wednesday, May 11 Chair Wheeler spoke at the Prince William Education Association (PWEA) Community Leader's Dinner. Other community leaders, public school advocates, parents, students and school board members attended the event. | |
The PWEA exists to create a deep and abiding interest in the cause of education, to promote competency in teaching and in the administration of the schools, and to represent its members in matters with the PWC School Board. Find your child's school's PWEA representative here. | | | |
Saturday, May 14, Chair Wheeler participated in Leadership Prince William's (issue 34) Class of 2022 Day of Service at Carried to Full Term (issue 66). Thanks to sponsor Micron Technology, Inc., as well as assistance from organizations like Habitat for Humanity, Wind River Chimes, Potomac Concrete, and many, many volunteers, the day was a great success. There was landscaping, painting, carpentry, and much more. As the sampling of pictures below shows, it was truly a transformative event! | |
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Carried to Full Term, is a nonprofit that works to equip pregnant and homeless women with the tools to become independent and self-sufficient. Its home provides housing, counseling, social service contacts, and postpartum support in an independent living environment.
Leadership Prince William is accepting applications for its Class of 2023 Signature Program. Learn more and apply here. Applications are due before 5:00 pm, June 10.
Micron Gives transforms the communities where its team members live and work through philanthropy and people. The grants, programs and volunteers focus on promoting human potential through STEM education, basic human needs, and equitable opportunities. In 2021 it provided $13 million in support in 24 countries, which included $300,000 to PWC for the purchase of the Bandalong (issue 57) floating trash collection device to pull trash and plastic pollution from Neasbco Creek.
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Mental Health Awareness Event | |
Sunday, May 15, Chair Wheeler participated in the PWC 5K Walk for Mental Health Awareness (issue 112) at Locust Shade Park. Held during Mental Health Awareness Month, the event drew more than 400 and helped educate, advocate, and dispel myths and stigma around mental illness. Community programs shared resources to inform and assist those in need. Music, food trucks, and other fun activities were also part of the event. | |
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“It’s just to make sure that everyone knows that we have mental health issues throughout our community and that it’s OK to recognize that and it’s OK to seek help and as a County we need to provide services to people who need help.”
Ann Wheeler
Chair At-Large Board of County Supervisors
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Tuesday, May 17, Chair Wheeler was the guest speaker at the Prince William Chamber's Virtual Policy Maker Series. In the live event, she provided the group an update, as well her vision for the future of PWC. | |
Tuesday, May 17, Chair Wheeler toured the Virginia American Water (issue 115) operations building in Woodbridge. Virginia American Water serves 19,194 residential and 626 business customers in PWC. On average, those customers use 4.39 million gallons of water a day, which travels through 184.2 miles of pipes of all sizes. Involved in all stages of the water cycle. | |
Wednesday, May 18, Chair Wheeler toured Mu-Del Electronics LLC in Manassas. Mu-Del Electronics was founded in 1967 to design, develop and manufacture high quality RF and Microwave products in a specific frequency range needed by its customers. Currently, it manufactures radio frequency and microwave sub-systems for national defense, electronic warfare, and communication arenas for customers that include NASA, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and the Department of Defense. | |
Thursday, May 19, Chair Wheeler toured MDC Global Solutions LLC (MDC) in Manassas. Since 2007, MDC has worked alongside top government agencies and private corporations providing targeted solutions to meet their financial, budgetary and resource management needs. Areas of expertise include clinical research, data analysis, financial accounting and management, governance and policy, IT, and program management. | |
Tuesday, May 17, Chair Wheeler attended the Open House for the new Woodbridge District Supervisor office location at 2701 Neabsco Common Place, Suite 150 in Woodbridge. Representatives from PWC Libraries, Human Rights Commission, and Area on Aging joined District Supervisor Margaret Franklin in welcoming guests. | |
Thursday, May 19, Chair Wheeler, along with leaders from neighboring jurisdictions, participated in a TransAction Update Work Session. TransAction is Northern Virginia’s long-range multimodal transportation plan. Overseen by the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority, it serves as a roadmap for planning, programming, and funding safe, equitable, and sustainable transportation projects over a 20-year timeframe. It is updated every five years with input from public officials, jurisdictional and agency staff, regional stakeholders, and the public. The current version was adopted in 2017. | |
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Thursday, May 19, Chair Wheeler attended the NOVA Veterans Association (NOVA Vets) Veterans Count Awareness & Remembrance Gala. PWC residents Neabsco District Supervisor CSM Victor S. Angry (RET) served as Master of Ceremonies, Soprano Angela Knight sung the National Anthem, and Colonel Phil Swinford USA (RET) delivered the keynote speech.
NOVA Vets has a distinct and fundamental mission to focus on taking care of our most vulnerable veterans here in Virginia, utilizing local trusted partners. Its membership is comprised of individual veterans, active military, family members, area citizens, and partners of businesses who serve and honor our veterans. It coordinates and case manages through a continuum of services, offers warm hand-offs, and provides follow-up until all needs are satisfied.
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NOVA Vets was recently awarded a $241,050 grant to provide COVID-19 related navigation services, application counseling, and referrals for rent, mortgage, and public benefits assistance. The grant was from the first round of funding from the $10 million federal American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 awarded to 33 nonprofit organizations by the PWC Community Grant Program (issue 114). | | | | |
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Every home in the U.S. is now eligible to order a third round of free at-home COVID-19 tests. Supplied by the Department of Health and Human Services, each order includes eight free rapid antigen COVID-19 tests. Your order will come in two separate shipments of four tests, each with its own tracking number via the U.S. Postal Service. You can place your order here. | |
No olvide abastecerse de sus pruebas gratuitas de Covid 19. El Gobierno Federal de los EE. UU. ordenó al Servicio Postal de los EE. UU. que envíe estos kits de pruebas médicas a cualquier dirección de los Estados Unidos. Haga su pedido aquí. | | | |
The Prince William Health District (PWHD) COVID-19 Locality Metrics Dashboard dated Monday, May 16, showed PWC continuing to have a low level of community transmission. However, since Monday, May 12 (issue116), Loudoun County and Stafford County have been added to the four other neighboring jurisdictions that are at a medium level of community transmission. The CDC guidelines for individual and household prevention methods by community transmission level can be found here. | | |
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If you incurred funeral expenses due to COVID-19 for someone after January 20, 2020, you may be eligible for up to $9,000 Funeral Assistance from FEMA. Learn more about eligibility, what is covered, what is required, and how the program works here. You can also attend an informational webinar on Thursday, May 26, at 1:30 pm Eastern Time, 10:30 pm Pacific Time. Register for this free webinar here. | |
Protecting Yourself and Others:
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Tuesday, May 24
2:00 pm and 7:30 pm
For Public Comment Time options visit SpeakUp! Prince William. Remote speakers must sign-up by 5:00 pm on Monday, May 23. In-person speakers can sign up at the meeting.
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BOCS Memorial Day Tribute | | |
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Friday, May 27, at 10:30 am, the BOCS is hosting a Memorial Day Tribute to remember those who died in service at Freedom Park, near the McCoart Government Center, at 1 County Complex Court in Woodbridge. During the ceremony, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent, and PWC resident, Forrest Nelson Leamon will be remembered. Special Agent Leamon died in a helicopter crash on Oct 26, 2009, during his third deployment to Afghanistan. | |
He and two other DEA special agents, along with seven U.S. soldiers, were on a joint, covert mission to combat drug trafficking. All 10 died on the mission and are buried together at Arlington National Cemetery. Special Agent Leamon's name is being added to the PWC War Memorial which honors County residents who died in combat. The event will be open to the public. | | |
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Born in 1971, Special Agent Leamon grew up in Ukiah, California and was active in the 4-H program, youth baseball, and high school football. He served in the U.S. Navy, where he worked in intelligence and achieved the rank of Petty Officer 1st Class. After earning a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Maryland, he joined the DEA in 2002. In 2007, he entered the Foreign-Deployed Advisory and Support Teams (FAST) program based in Quantico. The DEA trains and supports only five of these elite tactical units. | |
A caring person, on his deployments to Afghanistan, Special Agent Leamon took soccer balls and donated art supplies for children in a school in Kabul. In 2008 he married Ana Laura Lopez and they were expecting their first child when he gave his life in service to his country. | |
Public Comment Period Closing Soon | | |
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Sunday, May 22, at 11:59 pm, the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority public comment feedback opportunity closes for the twenty-six candidate projects submitted by nine Northern Virginia jurisdictions and localities for regional funding as part of the FY2022-2027 Six Year Program. Eight of the twenty-six projects are in PWC. With a combined request of more than $1.2 billion, the projects being considered cover various modes of transportation, including railway, Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), roadways, pedestrian/bicycle pathways, and transportation technologies. Learn more about the projects and how to provide your comment here. | |
Land Needs Analysis Report Available | | |
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The PWC Department of Economic Development contracted Camoin Associates to prepare a Targeted Industries Land Needs Analysis for the next 20 years based on industry projections and past performance. The detailed May 2022 analysis report estimates the aggregate amount of land needed for the six targeted industries and compares that with the Planning Office’s Build Out Analysis, an annual publication that provides an update on growth in PWC. This is to identify any gaps for additional land that may be needed to support the growth of these industries and increase the County’s overall commercial tax base. | |
In the near future, County staff will be hosting public virtual question and answer sessions so the community can ask staff and the consultant questions about the report findings. Information about those sessions will be shared in future issues once they are announced. | |
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The County's six targeted industry sectors are:
- Advanced Manufacturing
- Federal Government Contracting
- Healthcare
- Information Communications Technology
- Life Sciences
- Logistics
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Business Expansion Announced | | |
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Monday, May 23, through Sunday, June 5, the PWC Police Department will join law enforcement agencies throughout Virginia in "Click It or Ticket." The annual national campaign is held to promote seat belt safety awareness and enforce safety-belt and child safety-seat laws. In Virginia it is one of several programs under the Smart, Safe and Sober, a statewide program dedicated to preventing death and injury on Virginia roadways. | |
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Seat belts are mandatory in Virginia for all persons riding in the front seat. Additionally, Virginia car seat laws state:
- All children under the age of 8 must ride in a federally approved, secured safety seat.
- Children between 8 and 15 must use a safety seat, booster seat, or seat belt, no matter where in the vehicle the child is riding.
- It is the driver’s responsibility to make sure all children, age 15 and under, are secured properly.
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Wednesday, May 17, the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) provided information for those impacted by the formula shortage that included:
You can find additional resources from VDH here.
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Thursday, May 18, the White House released a Fact Sheet announcing new actions taken to address the shortage. These include invoking the defense production act to ensure manufacturers have the necessary ingredients and using Department of Defense commercial aircraft to pick up overseas infant formula that meets U.S. health and safety standards, so it can get to store shelves faster. | | | |
Water Academy Accepting Applications | | |
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The PWC Service Authority (PWCSA) is accepting applications for its 2022 Water Academy through Wednesday, June 1. The award-winning interactive and educational program focuses on the PWCSA’s mission, operations, environmental stewardship, infrastructure projects, career opportunities, and more. | |
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Adults and rising high school seniors who live, work or attend school in PWC are eligible to apply. The three sessions will be from 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm on:
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Wednesday, June 22 - in-person (includes catered dinner)
- Wednesday, June 29 - virtual
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Wednesday, July 6 - in-person (includes catered dinner)
Learn more about the Water Academy and apply here.
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Previous Water Academy participants have included teachers, engineers, scientists, environmental professionals, homeowners’ association members, community volunteers, and retirees. Teachers in PWC Schools who complete Water Academy sessions will receive Continuing Education Credits that have been authorized by the PWCS Professional Learning Department. | | | |
Parks Scholarship Program | | |
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The Count Me In scholarship pilot program is accepting applications through Tuesday, May 31. Provided by the PWC Parks Foundation and the Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism, the program helps support children in our community by providing funds to offset the costs for classes, camps and programs to assist families who normally would not be able to send a child due to financial hardships. Learn more about the program and apply here. | | |
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Our County Parks and their programs are sustained primarily through funds provided by County government. When this funding is not available, the Prince William Parks Foundation helps to enhance the Parks by providing the resources necessary to develop or sustain facilities or programs. | |
It achieves this by generating cash and in-kind donations, grants, planned giving contributions, and the donation of other financial and real property. Its provides these funds for targeted projects within our park system. The Foundation is governed by a Board of Directors composed of long-time area leaders from business, government and community organizations. | | |
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This years' event is dedicated to the loving memory of ORMA Treasurer, Joe Livingston. Joe was a Captain on the waterways for more than 50 years. In addition to ORMA, he was an active member/board member to many yacht clubs and water-related associations organizations throughout Virginia and Maryland. His love of boating and the water began at a young age growing up on Lake Erie. Joe and his wife Gail were parents to three children and grandparents of four. | |
Joe served our country in the U.S. Army, retiring after 28 years a Lieutenant Colonel. His military career included two tours in Vietnam as a Military Intelligence Officer. Following this, he served at various stations in the U.S. as well as Europe. He completed his final assignment at the Department of Defense Joint Chiefs of Staff at the Pentagon in 1992. | | |
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Saturday, May 21, from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm, join the community in a fun event for kids and adults at Nokesville Day! The free, rain or shine, event will have children's activities. games, moon bounces, food, crafts, vendors, antique cars, tractors, and more! The parade begins at 11:00 am on Fitzwater Drive, which will be closed during the event to open the street to the community. | | |
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Saturday, May 28, through Monday, May 30, from 12:00 pm to 6:00 pm, Waterworks Waterpark is opening for its 2022 season. Located in Dale City, the park has several slides, water obstacles, wading pools, shaded shore lounge cabana areas, and a full-service snack bar. It will be open weekends and holidays through Sunday, June 12, and then seven days a week from 11:00 am to 6:00 pm stating Thursday, June 16. | | |
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Tuesday, June 7, from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm, PWC Government is hosting a Community Celebration and Information Day to kick off the month of Pride. The event will be held at 5 County Complex Court in Woodbridge and feature food trucks, a DJ, a spirit wear contest, and information tables. For more information, email the Office of Equity and Inclusion at ei@pwcgov.org. | | |
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Congratulations to Kim Stewart, Battalion Chief for the PWC Department of Fire and Rescue, on recently completing the Executive Fire Officer Program (EFOP). The four-year, flagship leadership program of the U.S. Fire Administration National Fire Academy is designed to provide fire officers with a broad perspective on various facets of fire and emergency services administration. Kim has worked for PWC since 2003 and holds a master's degree in Emergency Management from University of Richmond. | |
EFOP students enhance their professional development through a unique series of four graduate and upper-division-baccalaureate equivalent courses. Each course is two weeks in length and must be attended at the National Emergency Training Center Emmitsburg, Maryland campus. To graduate, participants are required to write and submit graduate-level Applied Research Projects (ARPs), which are highly scrutinized and graded by an external evaluator. In addition, at the completion of the fourth-year, students must select and successfully defend, in front of an oral board, one of their ARPs. | | | |
Ann B. Wheeler was elected Chair At-Large of the Prince William Board of County Supervisors during the 2019 General Election and assumed office on January 1, 2020. Prince William County is located 25 miles south of Washington, D.C., and is the Commonwealth of Virginia’s second-most populous county with approximately 482,000 residents. | | | | | |
