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May 29, 2019 | Vol. 18, No. 22 | www.princewilliamtimes.com | 50¢ Covering Prince William County and surrounding communities, including Gainesville, Haymarket, Dumfries, Occoquan, Quantico and the cities of Manassas and Manassas Park.
Loudoun supervisors vie for GOP nod for state senate Race to replace Sen. Dick Black among hottest in Va. By James Ivancic Times Staff Writer
State Sen. Dick Black’s decision not to run for re-election sparked such a flurry of interest in the 13th District state senate seat that at one point three Republicans and six Democrats were vying for their parties’ nods in the contest. In the closely divided Virginia Senate, the race for the 13th District is one of the hottest in the state. The GOP likely must hold onto the post
to retain their two-seat majority in the commonwealth’s upper chamber. Meanwhile, Democrats hope to flip the seat in their quest to take control of the Virginia General Assembly. The district, which includes parts of Loudoun and Prince William counties, is one of only two in Northern Virginia that remain in GOP hands. Republicans hold 21 of 40 seats in the state Senate and 49 of 51 seats in the House of Delegates. “There’s no doubt the 13th District is crucial to Republicans who
are hoping to keep the state senate in their majority,” said Stephen Farnsworth, a professor of political science and international affairs at the University of Mary Washington in GEARY HIGGINS Fredericksburg. “This strikes me as one of the top two turnaround districts” for Democrats, Farnsworth said. The Virginia Beach-area 7th District seat, held by retiring Sen. Frank Wagner, a Republican, will be the other closely
watched race this fall. “When the incumbent, Dick Black, decided not to run for re-election, the Republican Party had to scramble to RON MEYER find a candidate,” Farnsworth said. “Name recognition matters a lot.” Two Republicans, Loudon Supervisor Geary Higgins and Ron Meyer, are seeking their party’s nominaSee PRIMARY, page 4
‘Let’s ride’ ‘Last’ Rolling Thunder draws more than 300 motorcyclists to Marine Corps museum Sunday By Jill Palermo
Times Staff Writer
More than 300 motorcyclists gathered outside the National Museum of the Marine Corps early Sunday morning ahead of what organizers said would be the last Rolling Thunder to descend upon the nation’s capital in a loud show of support for U.S. veterans and to call attention to those who never came home. The number was almost twice the 150 to 175 riders who usually stage outside Triangle museum ahead of the big ride, which has happened annually on Memorial Day weekend for the past 31 years. Bill Watson, a retired Marine who helped direct the action, said it was the largest turnout since local riding groups began gathering in the museum parking lot several years ago for a pre-event ceremony and police escort up See THUNDER, page 2 86 WARRENTON, VA
Done and done.
PHOTO BY DELIA ENGSTROM
Members of the “Band of Brothers” motorcycle club, based in Stafford, gathered for a short ceremony Sunday, May 26, outside the National Museum of the Marine Corps for what has been billed as the last Rolling Thunder ride to Washington, D.C. The group said the pledge, sang the national anthem, bowed their heads in prayer and then sang the club song, “Goodnight Saigon,” before leaving for the Pentagon, the main staging area for Rolling Thunder.
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Prince William Times | www.princewilliamtimes.com | May 29, 2019
‘Last’ Rolling Thunder draws more than 300 motorcyclists to Marine Corps museum Sunday THUNDER, from page 1 Interstate 95 to the Pentagon. Watson and others attributed the turnout to the announcement, made last December, that 2019 would be Rolling Thunder’s last year. Reasons cited for ending the annual ride include the rising cost and logistical challenges of organizing it. Many said they don’t believe it. “We’ll see,” said Dennis Hellberg, when asked how he felt about Rolling Thunder’s demise. Hellberg is president of the Band of Brothers, a riding club comprised mostly of retired and former U.S. Marines who organized the day’s events. “There’s too many people who understand the value and the heartfelt motivation necessary to do this,” he continued. “The reality of this is, it’s a national effort and it has a lot of support.” Hellberg, himself a former U.S. Marine, said organizers and individual members of motorcycle clubs plan months in advance for each Rolling Thunder ride. Some at the museum Sunday morning had travelled from as far away as North Carolina, Florida and Illinois to join them on the ride to the Pentagon, the main staging area for the event. Most years, about 200,000 motorcycles travel into Washington to circle the National Mall and Capitol building before arriving at the Vietnam Memorial in a roaring spectacle that more than lives up to its name.
PHOTOS BY DELIA ENGSTROM
About 300 motorcyclists prepare to leave from the National Museum of the Marine Corps at about 7:30 a.m. on Sunday, May 26. They were escorted on their trip to the Pentagon by federal police officers with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. As many as 1 million riders were expected to take part in Sunday’s event, according to early predictions. “It’s our honor to ride in the memory of those who have fallen,” said Jack Hill, of Strength and Honor, a motorcycle club oriented around law-enforcement officers, fire fighters and first-responders. “This is done in the memory of people that have sometimes been forgotten. This is our moral duty.” Bill Snyder, who serves in the
Members of several area cycling groups -- including Band of Brothers, Strength and Honor, the Grim Reapers and the Borinqueneers -- took a group photo outside the National Museum of the Marine Corps before embarking for the Pentagon to stage for the final Rolling Thunder ride into Washington, D.C. Community Editor Anita Sherman, 540-351-1635 asherman@fauquier.com ISSN 1050-7655, USPS 188280 Published every Wednesday by Piedmont Media LLC
Associate Editor John Toler, 540-351-0487 jtoler@fauquier.com
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Navy and rides with Strength and Honor, called the ride “inspiring.” “So many people come out to support this cause,” Snyder said. “Sometimes you watch the news and think people don’t care, but they do.” “I’m not concerned it’s going to be the last one,” said Bryant Halstead, of Fredericksburg, a former Marine who now works for the Stafford County Sheriff’s Office. “It’s been advertised as such, but I hope with the outpouring of folks, they might figure out some way to keep it going.” Andrea Watson said she and her husband, Bill, were not riding this year but had been Rolling Thunder regulars for years. “Vietnam was my war. Those were my friends who went over there and we need to know where they all are,” she said. “And we need to remember how badly they were treated when they all came back.” Watson said “it’s kind of sad” the national Rolling Thunder ride is ending. But she said she agrees that organizing multiple rides around the country, as is planned, could do more to further the event’s overall goal, which is to raise awareness of veterans’ issues and to work toward a full Dennis Hellberg, a former U.S. Marine and the president of the Band of Brothers motorcycle club, leads a group of about 300 motorcyclists from the National Museum of the Marine Corps, where they staged before leaving for the Pentagon on Sunday, May 26, the date of what has been deemed the last Rolling Thunder ride on Washington, D.C.
accounting of every servicemember still listed as missing in action. Before the group set out on their trek up I-95 north about 7:30 a.m. Sunday, Hellberg gathered the riders for a short ceremony. A group of Young Marines presented the colors. They all said the pledge, sang the national anthem and bowed their heads in prayer. Then, Hellberg offered a short pep talk of sorts to those concerned the ride would be their last. “We’re hoping this isn’t the last year. We’re hoping the presence is big enough, and we hope that the future of Rolling Thunder, whatever it is, won’t be lost,” he said. Finally, the riders sang the Band of Brothers’ theme song: Billy Joel’s “Goodnight Saigon.” That’s when the Band of Brothers linked shoulder-to-shoulder with Strength and Honor, the Grim Reapers, the Lone Wolves, the Borinqueneers and the Unleashed Beasts, swaying in unison as they sang of “six weeks on Parris Island” and how they’d “all go down together.” “All right,” Hellberg called at the song’s end. “Let’s Ride.” Reach Jill Palermo at jpalermo@ fauquier.com
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Prince William Times | www.princewilliamtimes.com | May 29, 2019
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Town hall on bond projects attracts crew, track supporters – and a few naysayers By Jill Palermo
Times Staff Writer
Proposed indoor track facilities and a possible expansion of the Oxford boathouse in Lake Ridge received strong support during a May 21 town hall meeting on a bond referendum the Prince William County Board of Supervisors could put to voters this fall. About 200 people turned out to community forum at the Hylton Performing Arts Center, which the supervisors called to gather input on 18 projects tentatively proposed for the $600 million bond initiative. The proposal includes $200 million for seven parks projects and $400 million for 11 road projects scattered throughout the county. More than 50 people spoke during the meeting, most in support of the largest park project on the list – an $84 million indoor track facility planned for an undetermined location in the Occoquan District -- or to call for expanding the Oxford boathouse, which is not currently on the project list. Located at the Lake Ridge Park Marina, the boathouse is used by both high school and adult rowing programs but is filled to capacity with boats, several speakers said. School Board Chairman Dr. Babur Lateef also attended the town hall and expressed his support for the bond initiative, noting the school division would benefit if the county raises more revenue to pay back the borrowing. Under the current revenue-sharing agreement between the supervisors and school board members, the county’s public schools receive 57.23 percent of general fund tax revenue. “The referendum will allow us to really invest strongly and more robustly in all the programs you believe are necessary and popular,” Lateef told the crowd. Lafeef said the road improvements would help school buses move more efficiently throughout the county, while the parks projects would provide student athletes with better facilities.
Opponents cite cost, need to build new schools
But the bond package was not without a few naysayers. Three speakers criticized the entire package as too expensive or ill-conceived. Others objected to specific projects, such as a $70 million extension of Van Buren Road in Woodbridge. Bob Weir, one of the opponents in the crowd, called the bond initiative an “election year ploy, hastily jammed through in 60 days.” Weir, of Haymarket, said the supervisors have neither analyzed the cost of operating the new park facilities nor carefully assessed the need for them. Weir also called it “a pipe dream” that any of the parks projects -- including the indoor track facility--would make money as some have suggested. Dan Foose, an elementary school teacher, also spoke in opposition, noting county residents are already paying taxes to the state to build roads. He suggested that some of the borrowing be used to build more schools. “If our local taxes are going to be used for millions of dollars in new bonds, it would be wise to at least use some of it to address school capacity, overcrowding,” Foose said. “Divert it to the school system’s capital improvement plan to reduce trailers.” Several residents of Four Seasons, a retirement community in Dumfries, turned out to oppose the Van Buren Road extension, which would connect Benita Fitzgerald Drive to Va. 234 in Wood-
PHOTOS BY JILL PALERMO
Prince William County School Board of Supervisors Chairman Corey Stewart, left, and School Board Chairman Dr. Babur Lateef, right, have expressed their support for a proposed $600 million bond referendum that could be on the ballot in November. bridge. They said the new road would take down too many trees, destroy wildlife habitat and disturb the tranquility of the area. The road would run parallel to U.S. 1 through undeveloped woods directly behind their neighborhood. A few Montclair residents, meanwhile, voiced support for the Van Buren Road extension, which has long been on the county’s long-term transportation plans. They said they hoped the road might divert traffic from Waterway Drive, which is used as a cut-through between Cardinal Drive and Va. 234.
Proponents: indoor track, bigger boathouse needed
But the indoor track facilities and the Lake Ridge boathouse were by far the hottest topics of discussion during the two-hour forum. Ken Michelsen, president of Prince William Crew Association, said the 30-year-old Oxford boathouse is “at capacity,” serving six of the county’s 12 public high schools and one private high school. The “vision” is to offer crew at all the county’s high schools, but that’s not possible without an expansion, he said. Tom Moulen, a Colgan High School physics teacher, said the county “missed the boat as far as accessing land” to build a second boathouse. “The Oxford boathouse is our last chance to get it right, so building a facility that’s going to expand for the high schools and everyone else is really the last opportunity we can get,” he said. Several students and parents praised crew as an inclusive sport that welcomes athletes of all ages and skill levels. It’s not known whether the boathouse will be included in the bond package. Last year, the county completed a $459,000 project to refurbish the boathouse by stabilizing it and bringing it up to code. But the project did not add capacity, said Brent Heavner, spokesman for the Prince William County Department of Parks and Recreation. “At the end of the day, it’s up to the board to decide which projects they are going to include in the referendum,” Heavner said. In an interview after the meeting, Supervisor Ruth Anderson, whose Occoquan District includes the Oxford boathouse, said “it’s possible” an expansion could be included in the bond initiative, but that more analysis is needed. “I support them,” Anderson (R) said of the crew community, whom she said she has worked with for years. The boathouse was not initially included in the list of bond projects, she said, because the indoor track facility was already slated for the Occoquan District and because crew organizations had not yet told her
Olympic gold medalist Benita Fitzgerald-Mosley, a Prince William County native who lives in Haymarket, speaks in support of a proposed $84 million indoor track facility, which is part of the $600 million bond package. exactly what they hoped to do with the boathouse. Anderson also said the supervisors need to talk more about the total cost of the bond initiative before she can say for sure she will support it. “I want to support it,” she said. “I’m concerned about the amount of debt involved. [Residents] may think we’re automatically going to spend the money, but that’s not true. [If the bond referendum passes] it just gives us the authority from residents about what they want or don’t want.” At least two other supervisors – Victor Angry and Maureen Caddigan – said they support the bond initiative and would be open to an expansion of the boathouse. Caddigan, however, said she is not sure it should be included in the bond initiative. “I think we should do it, I’m just not sure it should be part of the bond projects,” said Caddigan, R-Potomac. “Anything that gets a young person up and moving and involved in sports, I love it,” said Angry, D-Neabsco, of the bond projects and a possible boathouse expansion. “Because to me, it’s all about learning teamwork.” Nearly two dozen student athletes, former athletes, parents and coaches spoke in favor of proposed track facilities, which they say will offer the opportunity for track and field athletes to train year round. Two indoor tracks are included in the list of projects. The larger, $84 million facility would have a hydraulic, 200-meter track that allows for the surface to be sloped and banked. A $21 million indoor field house, slated for the Brentsville District, would also include a 200-meter track and playing courts. Benita Fitzgerald-Moseley, an Olympic gold medalist who was raised in Prince William County and ran track at the University of Tennessee, was among those who spoke in support of the track facility and the boathouse. Fitzgerald-Mosley is the namesake for Benita Fitzgerald Drive. She listed “youth development, community development and economic development” as three reasons to support the facilities. “Extracurricular activities in addition to school really do help develop children lives, help them become successful adults,” Fitzgerald-Mosley said. Reach Jill Palermo at jpalermo@fauquier.com