Prince William Times 07/22/2021

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CAMILLE SPINK SWIMS IN THE FAST LANE: Battlefield star is profiled. SPORTS, Pages 16-17.

July 22, 2021 | Vol. 20, No. 29 | www.princewilliamtimes.com | $1.00 Covering Prince William County and surrounding communities, including Gainesville, Haymarket, Dumfries, Occoquan, Quantico and the cities of Manassas and Manassas Park.

Supervisors OK study of data center campus near Manassas battlefield By Daniel Berti

Times Staff Writer

TIMES STAFF PHOTO/DANIEL BERTI

Prince William Board of Supervisors Chair Ann Wheeler, center, speaks at a press conference about the county’s effort to open its own mental health “crisis receiving center” to provide more expedient help to residents suffering from severe mental health crises.

County seeks funding for mental health crisis center By Daniel Berti

Times Staff Writer

In the emergency room. Handcuffed to a gurney. In a hospital gown. For several days straight. That’s where an increasing number of Prince William County residents suffering from severe mental health crises have found themselves as Virginia’s overburdened mental hospitals face limited bed space or have ceased taking new admissions altogether. Often, people wait days in the hospital before an open bed can be found at a mental health facility. And for those who have been involuntarily admitted by local police, that can mean being handcuffed to a gurney in the ER with a police officer by their side – a situation advocates say can exacerbate or escalate an already acute mental health issue. “This is extremely urgent,” Lisa Madron,

director of the county’s community services department, said in a recent interview. To address the problem, Prince William County supervisors are taking steps to create a mental health “crisis receiving center” where county residents could receive immediate help. The facility would be staffed at all times with nurses and mental health clinicians and is being planned to accommodate 48 patients. The aim is to divert those experiencing a crisis away from jails, police custody and hospitals, which are not always equipped to handle acute mental health situations, and to find them the necessary resources and treatment. At their July 20 meeting, county supervisors unanimously directed staff to examine a range of funding mechanisms to bring the project to fruition as soon as possible.

See CRISIS CENTER, page 11 (Unfinished) stories from the Appalachian Trail See Page 12

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Will Pageland Lane in rural western Prince William become the county’s data center alley? The Prince William Board of County Supervisors took the first step Wednesday morning toward studying 800 acres of agricultural land on Pageland Lane near the Manassas National Battlefield Park – as well as the entire, surrounding 4.5-mile corridor – for potential new data center development. The board voted 5-3 along party lines to initiate the study of a comprehensive plan amendment for a proposed “PWC Digital Gateway,” an application submitted by 12 Pageland Lane landowners. If the CPA is ultimately approved by the county board, it would pave the way for up to 21 million square feet of data centers to be built across three non-contiguous sites in the area. All of the properties are in the county’s designated rural area, often called the “rural crescent.” The board’s five Democratic members voted in favor of initiating the plan, while the board’s three Republicans voted against it. See DATA CENTERS, page 6

Summer school enrollment up 45% in Prince William By Jill Palermo

Times Staff Writer

Marsteller Middle School teacher Angela Stouffer knew she’d have to approach summer school for her rising sixth-graders a little differently this year. For one thing, some of her students hadn’t physically attended school for about 16 months – back when they were in fourth grade. And because COVID-19 restrictions are still in place, students and teachers must remain 3 feet apart and avoid group work and sharing materials. Even assignments on paper are discouraged because collecting and sharing paper could be a means of spreading the virus. Still, Stouffer, who teaches students life skills such as time management and organization, said she’s trying to be creative and make the best of it. She’s also giving the 12 students in each of her classes extra time to socialize and just enjoy each other’s company after being out of the classroom for so long. See SUMMER SCHOOL, page 8 ‘Good trouble’ vigil held at the Manassas battlefield See Page 6

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