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VOLUME 27, NUMBER 25
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SEPTEMBER 4, 2015
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Supervisors won’t rename aquatics center TRACY BELL
A
Both men won medals at Olympics
Stafford County Sun
bout 20 speakers addressed the Stafford County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday in support of honoring two hometown Olympic heroes instead of just one. The board already decided that an aquatics facility planned for the Embrey Mill community will be named for goldmedal Olympic swimmer Jeff Rouse, who graduated from Stafford High School. But the speakers urged the board to name the facility for both Rouse and fellow Olympic gold-medal diver Mark Lenzi, who attended Stafford High School, too. Some said that if that is not possible, Lenzi should still be honored in some way. Most speakers wanted better clarity and to know why Lenzi’s name would be omitted. Stafford resident Ruth Carlone told board members that it’s no shame to reconsider their vote. The shame, she said would be failing to recognize both men. Irma Clifton of Falmouth said that although the board has the right to name public facilities, that should in no way impede its members from doing the right thing. “Name it after both men who brought such honor to Stafford County,” she said. Some speakers said they personally knew Lenzi or his family, some of whom still live locally. Tonya Gardner of Spotsylvania told the board that Lenzi was a wonderful person, and she doesn’t understand the reasoning behind the omission. “If you could find it in your hearts to find a place for him...” she urged the board. “He needs to be remembered. Please let other people learn about him and all that he did.” He won a gold medal in diving at the 1992 Olympics and a bronze in diving in
Stafford County’s Mark Lenzi, left, and Jeff Rouse both won gold medals during the 1992 Summer Olympic Games in Barcelona, Spain. FILE PHOTO | STAFFORD COUNTY SUN
the 1996 Olympics. He was born in Huntsville, Ala., but raised in Stafford. Lenzi died in 2012 at age 43 after experiencing heart and blood pressure problems. Falmouth resident Becky Reed said that when she thinks of one of the men, she thinks of the other. “Honor both of them,” she said. “This chance doesn’t come around often.” Rouse, born in south Stafford, won gold and silver medals in swimming in the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, Spain, and two gold medals in the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia. He once held the world record in the 100-meter backstroke. Stafford Supervisor Gary Snellings, R-Hartwood, explained that when voting on names of facilities, the board does not poll the public or rely on committees. “Why? Because we would get 50 different names and upset everyone,” he said.
Snellings agreed that Lenzi should be recognized for his accomplishments. He said he’s suggested that Stafford High School be renamed for Lenzi instead. Both men worked very hard, said Snellings, but what sets Rouse apart is that he stayed in Stafford and regularly contributed back to his community since his accomplishments. Lenzi ultimately left the community, he added. The board previously discussed naming Woodlands Pool in Stafford for Lenzi, but many balked that either Woodlands isn’t up to par or noted its lack of diving quipment altogether. Stafford Supervisor Meg Bohmke, R-Falmouth, recently launched a petition that garnered 1,400 signatures in support of including Lenzi’s name with Rouse’s on the aquatics center. For the rest of the story, visit insideNoVa.com/news/stafford.
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Lisa Iden listened to passionate pleas as supporters urged the Stafford County Board of Supervisors to honor Olympian Mark Lenzi by including his name on a planned aquatics center in the county. Iden is Lenzi’s sister. To her, the issue is personal, emotional and overwhelming. On Tuesday, about 20 speakers asked the board to include Lenzi’s name on a new, state-of-the-art aquatics center planned for the Embrey Mill subdivision in Stafford. The board already plans to name the aquatics center after Olympian Jeff Rouse, but supporters have questioned why Lenzi’s name was omitted from this honor. Both men graduated from Stafford High School and made it to the Olympics, bringing home gold medals, the speakers said. Lenzi died in 2012 at age 43 after experiencing heart and blood pressure problems. At Tuesday’s board meeting, discussion from supervisors who want to name the building only for Rouse, centered on the fact that Lenzi ultimately left the community, while Rouse stayed in Stafford. In a letter to the board, Iden explained that her family is still in the area. She lives in Spotsylvania, her mother, Merry Ellen Lenzi, has lived in Stafford since 1968, and other family members either live and work in Stafford or the immediate area. Iden said her brother lived in Stafford since he was a month old, but he left the community when he got a full scholarship to Indiana OLYMPICS University. PAGE 10 “This was unheard of