difference maker
outfoxed
honoring monroe
sealston girl collects, donates items to help animals at local shelter. Page 4
courtland cougars use strong second-half start to seal gridiron victory. Page 5
a walking trail is in the works to recognize his many accomplishments. Page 10
T he
POSTAL CUSTOMER
King George
Volume 38, Number 44
Wednesday, October 29, 2014 50 Cents
helping you relate to your community
Project Faith wants $300K from county Attorney says group will give land back for that amount Phyllis Cook Project Faith Inc., wants $300,000, or “any reasonable settlement offer,” from the King George Board of Supervisors to give the county back a parcel of land donated in mid-2012.
That’s according to attorney Peter Basanti, who represented Project Faith at an Oct. 21 meeting with the county’s supervisors. Basanti’s brief presentation – just three minutes – offered a reason why Project Faith should be compensated
for incurring architectural/ engineering fees toward construction of a ‘help center’ facility on which it never broke ground. The two sides are in a legal dispute about a 5.5-acre parcel of Route 3, adjacent to the sheriff ’s office, that Project Faith was supposed to begin construction on by Aug. 1, 2013. The facility was intended to house local and state agencies and nonprofits providing social service programs
under a deal with the county. Project Faith has said in court filings it missed the deadline due to “circumstances beyond its control,” blaming the county, its officials, the state’s transportation department, The Journal and a social services board member. Basanti provided highlights of the ongoing litigation between the parties since October 2013, but was vague about the amount of money
Project Faith is claiming. Basanti said the group only was seeking costs in the submitted invoices, about $300,000. When Eric Gregory, the county’s attorney, asked if the group was willing to deed the property back, Basanti said, “I’ve not discussed that with them. I think we would entertain any reasonable settlement offer.” The county had issued a notice
after-school fun at the king george YMCA Program offers kids a multitude of fun options
of default in August 2013 and subsequently filed a breach of contract lawsuit to get the land back. Three preliminary hearings have been held. The county won the first two hearings, in January and April, but the case dragged on because concessions were granted to Project Faith, including a do-over filing to amend its counterclaim. Court proceedings were put on hold to let a claim hearing play out.
KG Idol talent has big-time dreams
Phyllis Cook
Stephanie Avery
The King George Family YMCA joined in a nationwide Lights on Afterschool! event to celebrate its own after-school programs. The Oct. 23 event was supported by a $1,000 grant from the Virginia Partnership for Out of School Time. The annual effort is a hallmark of the afterschool movement to highlight the importance of state-licensed programs and their role in the lives of children, families and communities. It’s a declining trend, but one in five children are left unsupervised after 3 p.m., according to the Virginia Partnership for Out of School Time. More and more, working parents rely on licensed after-school programs to give them peace of mind while providing a positive impact on their children, the agency said. Supervisor Jim Howard, who also is on the YMCA’s board, said the program fills a need. “The time after school until parents get home is a very difficult time for kids,” he said. “It’s when they’re most vulnerable for getting in trouble, for having problems.” YMCA executive director Elizabeth Taylor guided visitors to various activities. The first stop was in the gym, where a group of kids and counselors were playing. “The children receive at least 30 minutes of physical activity every day,” Taylor said. The next stop was a group of kids working on posters, where visitors joined them. The activities reflect the ages, desires and interests of the children, Taylor said. On various days, activities include swimming, Zumba, cooking, yoga, arts and crafts, science, dancing, pool-related activities, homework assistance, outdoor activities and games, all in a safe environment with qualified, caring counselors, according to the YMCA. “(The program) has so many benefits to the child and the family,” she said. “Choosing a program that fits the needs of the child and
Four acts that graced the stage at the recent Idol competition at the annual King George Fall Festival are hoping the event is a springboard to stardom. Brianna Lide, Syerra Carter and Kiana and Kendra Nwachukwu are all managed by D&R Management. Co-owners Rodney and Delaine Richards currently manage 40 individuals out of their King Georgebased business. “This is a wonderful way to give back to the community,” Delaine Richards said. “We are able to bring in agents and mangers to see all the great local talent.” Lide sings, acts and loves to perform. She realized she wanted to perform after the reaction she received at a second-grade performance. She has been performing for 10 years and has participated in several talent shows and competitions throughout the area. She said performing gives her a chance to express herself and be noticed. She aspires to be on Broadway and win a Tony. Carter was inspired to sing by her mother and sister, and has been taking part in talent shows since she was in middle school. Though she hadn’t performed in any talent competitions, she thought the Idol competition sounded like fun and decided to give it a try. She hopes to be in show business for a long time. The Nwachukwu twins can sing, act, dance and model. They have been performing since they were in their fourth-grade school choir, and would put on mini talent shows for their friends and family when they were little. Singing is their passion, and while the Idol event was their first competition together, they managed to obtain a pending contract with Nutainment, a Rockville, Md-based company, which scouted them at the competition. They currently are preparing a demo with D&R Management and plan to have it finished in a year. “I believe each of these young adults have a host of talent,” Delaine Richards said. “I look forward to them excelling to greatness.” As a part of their services, D&R Management provides an array of learning opportunities for people who are interested in screen writing and producing, to performance workshops for singers and dancers.
Phyllis Cook photos
Area children and King George Family YMCA counselors play a game in the gym during the Lights on Afterschool! event. the family is so important.” Taylor said after-school care should be licensed by the state to ensure minimal requirements are being met. She said a review of more than 50 studies of after-school programs conducted by The Afterschool Alliance — a nonprofit organization whose mission is “to ensure that all children have access to affordable, quality afterschool programs.” — indicate quality after-school programs improved school attendance, engagement in learning, test scores and grades. “Research suggests out-of-school time programs can benefit youth socially, emotionally and academically,” Taylor said The King George YMCA, which opened in 2008, is a branch of the Rappahannock Area YMCA.
Kids work on a poster project with Julie Caiafa and King George County Sheriff Steve Dempsey.
Supervisors have food fight about concessions Phyllis Cook Hot dogs, peanuts, Cracker Jacks? King George is in the process of seeking proposals from vendors to offer concessions at Barnesfield and Sealston parks during ball games and tournaments. The issue spawned a lively debate at the King George Board of Supervisors’ Oct. 21 meeting with Dahlgren Supervisor Ruby Brabo standing alone. “The whole point of drawing the tournaments here was – the reason it qualifies for tourism –it will promote the businesses in our county,” she said. Supervisor Jim Howard disagreed with Brabo. “There’s a concession stand there; it’s already built,” he said. “We’re just going to put somebody in it. I just think we need to make sure the
“I just think we need to make sure the concession stand is open when a 12-year-old kid wants a hot dog and is between games. He’s got a game at 9 a.m. and a game at noon. So, where’s he going to eat? Dahlgren? I don’t think so.”
King George Supervisor Jim Howard
concession stand is open when a 12year-old kid wants a hot dog and is between games. He’s got a game at 9 a.m. and a game at noon. So, where’s he going to eat? Dahlgren? I don’t think so.” “The concession stand is for the folks who are at the game, and they want something during the games,” said Supervisor Cedell Brooks. Brabo countered, “I just think we might need to look into that more.” Chairman Joe Grzeika agreed it’s a convenience to have concessions
available at any kind of sporting event. “It’s not in conflict for the restaurants there when people are staying overnight for the next day for a weekend tournament,” he said. Brabo said she had feedback in the past about no concessions being at Sealston Park during games. “So, I suggested to Tim (Smith) that he reach out to the different establishments to find out who had mobile vendor carts,” she said. “Therefore, at the next one, they had
King George establishments with their mobile vendor carts there able to provide, so you’re supporting the businesses here within our community.” Actually, the county has no mobile vending carts, at least operating legally. The board had spent three months in 2011 developing an ordinance to regulate vending carts and then shelved it without taking action. Smith, director of Parks and Recreation, said someone offered to provide concessions, and he let them. That’s not in keeping with the county’s procedures, so seeking proposals is the next step to avoid liability issues and to make sure a license is obtained from the health department. Travis Quesenberry, county administrator, said Smith’s first draft is being revised by the county attor-
ney. Quesenberry said it should be ready to go out by early 2015, with the idea of getting one or more vendors for the concession stands next spring. King George Youth Athletic Association provides its own concessions, said its leader, Jim Salyers. He said his group sets up a tent and tables, grilling hot dogs and hamburgers and offering snacks and drinks. “If we couldn’t do concessions, we would have to raise our fees even more to cover costs,” Salyers said. Keith Douglas of the World Softball Association in Richmond said throughout the years, he’s sometimes been able to secure a group from King George or Westmoreland counties to provide concessions during tournaments. “When we don’t have concessions, I let the coaches know, so they can prepare their parents,” Douglas said. “It definitely would be a convenience to have concessions onsite.”
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