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April 11, 2018 | Serving Haymarket, Gainesville and Western Prince William County | Vol. 17, No. 15 | www.PrinceWilliamTimes.com | 50¢
Supervisors mull effort to hire retired police as armed guards in schools By Jonathan Hunley Times Staff Writer
Prince William could become the first locality in Virginia to employ retired law-enforcement officers as armed security guards, if the school board and county supervisors agree to launch a pilot program outlined last week. A new state law that took effect last July 1 allows Virginia public school divisions to hire retired law-en-
forcement officers as armed security guards provided they meet certain criteria, including that they have retired within the past 10 years, left their departments in good standing and have completed special training. During a joint meeting with the Prince William School Board April 3, supervisors said they want to explore the issue in light of recent school shootings, including the February incident at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida that
killed 17 students and teachers. A pilot program in Prince William could begin with five armed security guards and a supervisor, County Police Chief Barry Barnard recommended during the meeting, and then expanded later. “This is something that I think we need to be prudent about, how we get into it,” Barnard said. The first-year cost for the program would be $464,700, Barnard said, with an ongoing cost of $422,166. As
Tiptoeing through the tulips in Nokesville Coming soon: 1 million blooms. Leslie Dawley and her son, Michael Dawley, have planted 1 million tulip bulbs at Burnside Farm’s new location in Nokesville. The Dawleys are keeping the exact location of their 50-acre farm under wraps until the official opening date, which will be announced soon.
Story on page 12.
APRIL 2018
See GUARDS, Page 5
Boaters, marinas seek county’s help to dredge Neabsco Creek By Jill Palermo
Times Staff Writer
The U.S. Coast Guard recently declared Neabsco Creek too shallow to safely navigate by motorized watercraft. Now a coalition of marina owners and recreational boaters is turning to Prince William County for help. The group, organized under the Facebook page “Neabsco Creek Boaters,” is asking the Prince William Board of Supervisors to help fund an estimated $750,000 to $1 million effort to re-dredge a 50-footwide channel leading to and from Neabsco Creek and the Potomac River. The creek is home to three privately-owned marinas that house about 1,000 recreational boats as well as a Prince William County’s water-rescue boat. The creek is also home to a boat lift used by larger vessels from across the region and the river’s only marina gas station open 365 days a year. See NEABSCO CREEK, Page 5
SHE MEANS BUSINESS: Maria Loveless blends passion for interior design with love of people. Times Business, Page 9 INSIDE Calendar....................................ONLINE Classifieds...........................................17 News....................................................4 Obituaries...........................................12
such, he encouraged supervisors to allocate $500,000 in the next fiscal year, which would allow flexibility in training and equipment acquisition. “I think this is a reasonable approach, if done correctly,” he said. The school board would have the final say on whether to hire the extra armed security guards because the guards would be school-division employees. The school board has not yet formally discussed the idea.
BOBCATS WILL RUN YOU RAGGED Senior Kelsey Brown and the Battlefield Bobcats love to run the bases. Sports, Page 13 PHOTO BY DOUG STROUD
Politics..................................................6 Puzzle Page........................................15 Real Estate..........................................16 Sports.................................................13 Times Business.....................................9
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