Prince William County news in brief
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Version 0 of 1. The Prince William Board of County Supervisors voted unanimously during a special meeting Monday to send a letter to Aubrey Layne, the Virginia secretary of transportation, opposing a proposed commuter lot at the Heflin family’s Cedar Farm in the Gainesville District. The letter, sent as an official board request, stated in part that the board would like the Virginia Department of Transportation to “reexamine all possible alternatives for the commuter lot facility in Haymarket, which is proposed as part of the ‘I-66 Outside the Beltway Project.’ ” In June, the board sent comments to VDOT regarding improvements within the county to the I-66 Outside the Beltway Project. The comments included the need for certain off-ramps, maintaining HOV lanes, improving secondary street systems affected by the project, including a bike and pedestrian plan, reserving sufficient right-of-way for future transit, and using parking structures rather than surface parking lots. Prince William Board of County Supervisors Chairman Corey A. Stewart (R-At Large) said the board’s comments did not endorse the commuter lot. “Unfortunately, somewhere along the line, VDOT went ahead with a preferred alternative and placed Heflin Farm as a commuter parking lot as the preferred alternative, which would essentially take the entirety of their farm,” Stewart said, according to a county statement. “It’s one of the last working farms in Prince William County, and that was certainly not the intention of this board member. I doubt it was the intention of any one of the board members.” After a meeting with the Heflins and VDOT, the department indicated that it could reconsider the placement of the commuter lot but needed some official board action. The next supervisors meeting is Nov. 17 at 2 p.m. The Prince William Office of Elections said that Tuesday’s paper ballot will be two-sided and will cover the following races: →Virginia State Senate. →Virginia House of Delegates. →Prince William Board of County Supervisors (chair and members). →Prince William County School Board (chair and members). →Clerk of court. →Commonwealth’s attorney. →Sheriff. →Soil and Water Conservation District Board. Paper ballots and new voting equipment have replaced the touch-screen machines. For information, visit www.pwcgov.org. With the end of daylight saving time today, the Prince William County Department of Fire and Rescue reminds residents to change smoke alarm batteries. The agency offers these smoke alarm safety tips: →Place an alarm on every level of your home, in the basement and in sleeping areas. →When an alarm sounds, get outside and stay outside. →Replace all alarms every 10 years, or sooner if they don’t respond to testing. →For alarms with a non-replaceable battery, replace the entire unit if it begins chirping. →For alarms with regular batteries, replace the batteries once a year when changing clocks, or before the unit starts to chirp. Also remember to change the batteries in NOAA All Hazard/Weather radios. →Do not remove batteries from alarms to put them in other appliances. →Alarms should be interconnected so that when one sounds, they all do. →Keep alarms clean by vacuuming or dusting them. →Teach children what the alarm sounds like and what to do if they hear it. →If an alarm sounds from the steam of cooking or a shower, open a window or door, wave a towel at the alarm to clear the air, or move the alarm several feet away. →Develop and practice a home fire escape plan and make sure everyone in the house knows what to do. Applications are available for the Prince William County Police Explorer program. The “Learning for Life” career education program is affiliated with the Boy Scouts of America and is for high school students who want to learn about day-to-day police operations. The cost to join is $30. Police Explorers meet twice a month at various locations and cover all aspects of law enforcement, including patrol and arrest procedures, traffic stops, traffic and criminal law, criminal investigations, crash investigations, and firearms safety. To qualify for the program, students must: →Be 14 to 18 years old. →Be a U.S. citizen or a legal permanent resident. →Have proof of active enrollment in school and maintain at least a 2.0 GPA while in the program. →Be drug-free, including tobacco and alcohol. →Have good moral character as determined by a background check and must not have a criminal background or gang involvement. →Have a 100 percent commitment to attend mandatory meetings and assigned activities (at least two meetings a month). For information, contact your school resource officer, call 703-792-5590 or visit www.pwcgov.org. — Compiled by Sarah Lane |