PLAYOFF BASKETBALL: Potomac boys avoid upset, other top seeds move on. SPORTS, Page 9.
February 10, 2021 | Vol. 20, No. 6 | 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.
See PrinceWilliamTimes.com for coronavirus updates
Vaccine goal: shooting for 90% County won’t say how many shots are administered weekly By Jill Palermo
Times Staff Writer
PHOTO BY JOSH PATSOS/THE SKY’S THE LIMIT MEDIA
The Dar Al Door mosque, located on Hoadly Road, received a special use permit to expand from 12,000 to 88,276 square feet, allowing for a new prayer hall, a multi-purpose banquet hall, a childcare facility, private school and medical clinic.
County supervisors approve mosque expansion By Daniel Berti
Times Staff Writer
The Prince William Board of County Supervisors unanimously approved a permit needed for major expansion of Dar Al Noor mosque, located on Hoadly Road, despite some residents’ objections to the size of the addition and additional traffic. The vote took place after a marathon meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 2 that stretched until 4:15 a.m. the next morning, Wednesday, Feb. 3. The supervisors heard more than six hours of public comment from nearly 100 speakers. The majority voiced support for the expansion and the need to accommodate the mosque’s growing congregation and its contributions to the community at large. Around 20 people spoke against the expansion over concerns about its potential traffic impacts along Hoadly Road. The board approved the special use permit with the added restriction that the expansion cannot receive an occupancy permit until after Feb. 3, 2022. The board also directed county staff to begin the process of requesting and planning for a new traffic signal along Hoadly Road. The motion to delay the mosque’s occupancy permit was made by Supervisor Yesli Vega, R-Coles. She said she requested the condition to get
More than 13,000 Local COVID-19 doses of COVID-19 vaccinations by vaccine were availthe numbers able in Prince William County, Manassas and 58,000 Manassas Park last Doses received week and the goal was to administer at least 40,077 (69%) 90% of them. Whether Doses administered that happened, however, remains a mystery 41,443 because officials won’t Unique names on say how many shots the waiting list can be administered each week. Prince William County Emergency Management Coordinator Brian Misner detailed for the first time Tuesday, Feb. 2, how the vaccine doses coming into the county are being allocated, offering the most complete public accounting so far of the county’s distribution plan. See VACCINE GOAL, page 2
COVID-19 outbreak at county jail raises concerns By Daniel Berti
a head start on traffic light with the aim of having it in operation before the expansion is complete. It is unclear whether the restriction will impact the construction timeline. The special use permit will allow the mosque to expand its footprint from 12,000 to 88,276 square feet and add about 450 new parking spaces to its parking lot. It will also increase vehicle trips from 1,761 to 6,250 per day, but only on Fridays, according to a county staff report. The expansion will add a new prayer hall, administrative offices, a multi-purpose banquet hall, a youth and senior center, meeting rooms, play areas, a childcare and private school with associated administrative offices, an auditorium and a medical clinic. The building will be 60 feet tall with an 80foot minaret, a tower typically built into or adjacent to a mosque. The board’s discussion largely revolved around how best to mitigate traffic concerns. County officials said staff had worked with the mosque’s leadership to create an extensive traffic management plan that includes having a dedicated worker who will respond to traffic complaints from area residents and coordinate with county police to control traffic during Friday services.
Attorneys at the Prince William County public defender’s office are sounding the alarm over a fast-spreading COVID-19 outbreak at the county jail and the conditions in which inmates are being held because of it. The number of sick inmates has grown from two in mid-January to 55. Additionally, 15 staff have tested positive, including four who were hospitalized for COVID-19 but have since returned to work, according to jail officials. Chief Public Defender Tracey Lenox said Friday, Feb. 5 that many of the office’s incarcerated clients, some of whom have pre-existing conditions and mental health issues, are being held in solitary confinement in an effort to prevent the spread of the disease and are “terrified,” Lenox said. “We have lots of clients that are in a lockdown situation that puts them effectively into solitary confinement. They effectively have an hour a day outside of their cell and they frequently will go for days without any opportunity to take a shower, without the ability to get clean underwear,” Lenox said. “The isolation that causes is deadly, frankly, for folks that have mental health issues.”
See MOSQUE, page 4
See JAIL, page 5
INSIDE Classified............................................12 Library Page.......................................8 Obituaries...........................................10
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