Community Guide 2023

A decade of change – and big choices ahead

On Jan. 11, 2013, the first edition of this weekly newspaper was published. At the time, it was called Prince William Today, and it was created by a dedicated team that believed Prince William County deserved a continuation of regular news coverage following the closure of the county’s daily newspaper.

As we celebrate the 10th anniversary of what’s now called InsideNoVa/Prince William, we have more than 500 weekly issues in the archive. So we thought it appropriate to dedicate the 2023 Community Guide to taking a look back at the past decade – and a look forward to the next.

We’re calling this section “County at a Crossroads,” because, in fact, we are at a crossroads. Early voting is underway in what will be Prince William’s most significant local election perhaps in a generation.

We will have a new chair of the county Board of Supervisors, which will be making critical decisions regarding data center development, public employee unions and the county’s overall growth. And, thanks to redistricting that actually makes some sense, Prince William will have its largest number ever of General Assembly

Table of contents

Economic Development Pages 4-5

Insider: Christina Winn

Transportation Pages 6-8

Insider: Bob Schneider

Healthcare Pages 10-11

Insider: Jeff Joyner

representatives it doesn’t have to share with other localities. However, we did not want to make this section a preview of the election. That will come later this fall. Rather, we wanted to focus on what has actually happened over the past decade, and we chose six specific topic areas to focus on: economic development, transportation, healthcare, arts and recreation, education and politics. While we could have included others, we believe these represent a good cross-section of key issues affecting our community.

Within each topic area, our reporters take a look back at the past 10 years. While not all-encompassing, their articles provide an overview of key developments and their impacts. And for the look into the future, we asked local “insiders” to write a column sharing their perspective. We’re honored that five of the county’s top leaders agreed to take on these assignments. (There is no column for politics to avoid any perceptions of bias.)

We hope you find the result both enjoyable and informative. We thank our advertisers for supporting our efforts, and we thank you for reading and following us.

– Bruce Potter, Publisher

Advertisers in this Section

Arts & Recreation Pages 12-13

Insider: Rick Davis

Education Pages 14-15

Insider: LaTanya McDade

Politics Pages 16-17

Business Perspective Page 18

Dream Home

• Appliance Connection, Page 20

• Brennan’s HVAC, Page 8

• Brookfield Residential Properties, Page 2

• Glen Hill for Sheriff Campaign, Page 11

• I-66 Express Mobility, Page 9

• McKay Used Books, Page 17

• OmniRide, Page 5

• Potomac Place Assisted Living, Page 16

• Prince William County Parks & Recreation, Page 7

• Prince William Ice Center, Page 11

• Prince William Public Library, Page 18

• Renova Smiles, Page 3

• Ross Tree Service, Page 15

The first edition of Prince William Today, now called InsideNoVa/Prince William, was published Jan. 11, 2013.

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Falls Church, Woodbridge, Manassas, Arlington, and Franconia.

County’s landscape has changed dramatically

Growth includes GMU expansion, targeted industries

BY BEN PETERS bpeters@insidenova.com

Prince William County’s economic landscape has been altered dramatically over the past decade and is poised for even more change in the years ahead.

The courting of several big-time companies, a major state university expansion and laser focus by officials on attracting targeted industries like data centers, life sciences, supply chain logistics and advanced manufacturing has led to a marked increase in the county’s economic activity since 2013, said Christina Winn, executive director of the county’s economic development department.

“By focusing our attraction efforts on our set targeted industry list, we are ensuring those industries are getting the attention they need,” she added. “And we’re increasing our capacity to include businesses that want to expand in place, or startups that want to bring new ideas and new products to the market.”

While politically divisive, among the largest drivers of economic growth in the county has been the proliferation of tech hubs, which now account for a large portion of the commercial tax base. Last year, data centers accounted for more than $101 million in tax revenue for the county, more than 15 times what it was in 2012, when the industry began taking off.

The Board of County Supervisors set its sights on ambitious tech projects in recent years to boost commercial tax revenue in the county, with the goal of in turn reducing residents’ tax bills. But data center development, while lucrative, is believed by some to be excessive and a threat to rural living in the county’s western end. Data centers in Prince William have spawned a number of high-profile opposition groups that have helped to decide the outcomes of recent elections.

The increase in data center development has culminated into what could become the largest development in county history with the PW Digital Gateway – 23 million square feet of data centers on roughly 2,100 acres along Pageland Lane in western Prince William near Gainesville. The board on Dec. 12 at 2 p.m. will consider three rezoning requests to bring the project to life. The Democratic majority have signaled their likely approval of the proposals.

“Economic development is about raising the commercial tax base, which keeps other tax rates lower for our residents, while attracting businesses with high-paying jobs,” Winn said.

MICRON EXPANSION IN MANASSAS

Among the most significant expansions in the area in recent years is semiconductor manufacturer Micron with its $3 billion investment in the City of Manassas, which happened to coincide with a

national shortage of microchips that power critical technologies like smartphones, cars and home appliances. It also arrived at a time when the United States is taking great strides to decouple its reliance on China for tech manufacturing.

Micron, now the sole microchip manufacturer in the Mid-Atlantic, was targeted by Manassas economic development officials and eventually wooed through budding relationships with the company’s top brass, said Patrick Small, economic development director for the city. Micron, which benefited from $70 million in state incentives, has said it plans to add 1,100 jobs in the city by 2030.

Residents of the city of Manassas now have the second highest average weekly wage for manufacturing in Virginia, a development Small said is directly attributable to the entrance into the city of Micron and other highly technical manufacturing firms.

Household incomes in the city have risen faster than any other locality in Northern Virginia, and city residents have benefitted from the downstream effect of commercial growth through decreased property taxes, according to Small. Increased business activity has also allowed the city to make targeted investments in parks, public safety education.

Additionally, Manassas is home to Lockheed Martin’s $191 million underseas division contract, and aircraft manufacturers like Rapid Flight and Aurora Flight Science, which was acquired by Boeing in 2017.

“These are not just run-of-the-mill divisions of these defense contractors,” Small said. “These are critical manufacturing and research and development operations.”

The area’s highly skilled, educated and technologically savvy labor force helps to attract these companies.

“Our region and our community have the kinds of things that companies like those are looking for,” Small said.

The proximity of the Manassas Regional Airport is also key, and its planned expansion to add commercial flights is poised to be an additional economic boost for the area.

INNOVATION TECHNOLOGY PARK GROWING

Another critical economic driver in the Manassas area is Innovation Technology Park, a mixed-use, science and technology hub just outside the city’s boundaries that Winn said is “almost unrecognizable” when compared to a decade ago.

The site is home to the Prince William Science Accelerator, a life sciences incubation facility that features the only available wetlabs in the region. Innovation Park also features the 30,000-squarefoot NOVA Bioscience Center.

Two companies that graduated out of the accelerator, Ceres Nanoscience and Serpin Pharma, now have their own spaces, Winn said. The county also helped expand the global headquarters of nonprofit life sciences leader ATCC, which provides the scientific community with research

and other services.

The expansion of George Mason University’s Manassas campus in the Innovation Park area is also making headway with its ongoing construction of a $75 million life sciences and engineering building, where students can study kinesiology, materials science, forensic science, bioengineering and mechanical engineering. Construction is expected to wrap up in early 2025.

The campus could enroll up to 5,000 students once the project is complete, according to a university spokesperson, and work has begun on a mixed-use development adjacent to the campus.

“We are expanding amenities for our students, staff and faculty, plus the local businesses in the community,” said Ron Carmichael, the university's director of administration and operations for the Science and Technology Campus. “We’re happy to serve the local community, as well as Mason students.”

Also near innovation park is the Farm Brew Live campus, which has become a popular brewery and event destination that is expanding further to include a 92room boutique hotel and an expansion of the Prince William-based Mularkey Distillery.

“The well-known Farm Brew Live complex is a gem in Prince William County because it has defined a placemaking destination not only for residents, but from all over the region and nearby states,” Winn said.

THE GAMING BOOM

Another substantial economic development was the introduction of gaming, which has ballooned tax revenues in the small town of Dumfries and will be on the ballot this fall in the city of Manassas Park.

In Dumfries, where a Rosie’s Gaming Emporium opened in 2021, gaming tax revenues have more than tripled and in

An employee at IQ Genetix processes samples at the Northern Virginia Bioscience Center, which officially opened in early 2022. INSIDENOVA FILE PHOTO

A $3 billion expansion is underway at Micron’s semiconductor plant in Manassas.

INSIDER’S VIEW | CHRISTINA

WINN

Sustaining and growing the local community

Ten years ago, an economic developer stood in a vacant lot, surrounded by waving weeds, patches of mud, broken concrete and ringing insect music.

As he pointed out the boundaries of the land to a potential real estate developer, cars sped by on the Prince William Parkway just beyond an abandoned barn, with the late summer sun shining on two tin-capped silos.

That greenfield and historic barn at the intersection of Prince William Parkway and Route 28 in Manassas became the Farm Brew Live campus. Today, those silos are refurbished, and the barn houses the award-winning Black Sheep restaurant, next to sister restaurant 2Silos Brewery, which hosts rousing outdoor concerts and has become a regional destination for families and friends.

The insects still sing near the pond at Brentsville Hall, and next fall the October nights will shine on the soon-to-be expanded MurLarkey Distillery.

Our office pitched that property 10 years ago to the right person at the right time. As economic developers, our goal is to build relationships that generate a commercial tax base – not just for tomorrow, but with the next decade in mind. Our projects are geared toward sustaining and growing a community – not just in the best of times, but also in the worst.

SEE THE PITCH

» Watch the Economic Development Department’s “Make Your Mark” video at youtube.com/watch?v=DGJkr4YKqqA

spaces, our county’s economic diversity has proven to be resilient. We have ensured the foundations of placemaking have taken shape across our county.

Across the street from Farm Brew Live, a new town center is emerging from the ground, doubling the size of the George Mason University Science & Technology campus at Innovation Park.

On the other side of the county, dirt is moving around the new landmark VRE station at Potomac Shores. In the next year, we will see the groundbreaking at Riverside Crossing in Woodbridge, and the transportation development that will result in a brand-new Quartz District mid-county off Minnieville Road.

Competing in this region for business over the next 10 years will be about having open conversations about the places we want to build. I am proud of our team, who work every day to develop not only innovative ideas, but also relationships with our business owners, leaders and residents.

The next 10 years are a time to make your mark in Prince William County.

OmniRide Express is a stress-free and convenient bus service from Eastern Prince William County, the Manassas area, Gainesville, Haymarket, and Stafford to destinations in Northern Virginia (including the Pentagon) and Washington, D.C.

OmniRide Metro Express* offers two routes that connect Woodbridge and Manassas with nearby Metro stations.

OmniRide Local* is

local bus service in Dale City, Woodbridge/Lake Ridge, Dumfries, and Manassas area.

OmniRide Access* is a program that offers paratransit service for people with disabilities. Vans operate within ¾ mile of the OmniRide Local bus routes that serve Manassas and Manassas Park.

Prince William’s differences are our assets. As our region confronts the challenges and opportunities of empty office

Christina Winn is executive director of the Prince William County Department of Economic Development and Tourism. 2022 created more revenue than real estate taxes. Officials expect revenues from gaming taxes to grow with the planned opening of the Rose Gaming Resort.

The resort, being built along Interstate 95, will include a 350-room hotel, more than 50,000 square feet of gaming space, eight bars and restaurants, a cultural venue, a multi-purpose space and over 80 acres of outdoor green space for a va-

riety of recreational activities. The Rose is expected to open in 2024 and generate $59 million in annual tax revenues for the town while creating more than 600 jobs.

In Manassas Park, a question asking voters whether they wish to allow pari-mutuel gambling in the city to make way for a new Rosie’s location will appear on the November ballot.

OmniRide Connect* is a dynamic, same-day travel Microtransit service in the Manassas Park and Quantico/Dumfries/Triangle areas.

OmniRide East-West Express* travels between Eastern Prince William County and the Manassas area, with access to medical facilities, offices, shopping and other destinations. OmniRide

OmniRide Ridesharing saves you time and money by helping you locate the carpool or vanpool that fits your needs. It’s easy and FREE!

A rendering of The Rose gaming resort, which is under construction along Interstate 95 in Dumfries.

CHRISTINA WINN

From roads to trains, improvements abound

But work continues across the region

BY JONATHAN HUNLEY For InsideNoVa

The past decade has seen lots of road-building in Prince William, but, as the county’s transportation director said recently, the work is an ongoing battle in a traffic-weary locale.

“Transportation in this area is an insatiable need,” said Rick Canizales.

The county’s department hopes to become more proactive, Canizales said, but right now, it’s usually solving problems that have been around for a while.

Still, some of those issues are getting resolved. The Virginia Department of Transportation has been hard at work here over the past 10 years, and Canizales’ department is now the largest road-construction agency among localities in the state.

“Over the past decade, Prince William County has steadily increased their administration of a large part of the transportation improvements in the county,” said Richard Burke, VDOT transportation and land use director for Prince William. “VDOT has a great relationship with the county and works closely to partner together to find solutions to congestion, safety and future needs.”

VDOT has overseen a number of projects over the past 10 years aimed at improving traffic here.

They include:

• Opening the Interstate 95 Express Lanes in 2014 at a cost of about $1 billion. These paths can be used for free by vehicles carrying three or more people, or by individual drivers who want to pay a toll and were recently expanded south to Fredericksburg.

• A $150 million project to reconfigure the U.S. 29 and Linton Hall Road interchange in Gainesville. The work, completed in 2015, eliminated a major bottleneck by grade-separating Linton Hall and Route 55 over U.S. 29 and removed two at-grade railroad crossings.

• Widening Interstate 66 from U.S. 29 to U.S. 15 in 2016. The $64.5 million project added one high-occupancy vehicle and one general purpose lane to I-66 in each direction between U.S. 15 and U.S. 29 in Prince William, bringing the highway to a total of four lanes in each direction there. It also included the reconstruction of two overpasses, at Catharpin Road and Old Carolina Road.

• Launching the “Transform 66 Outside the Beltway” project, which aims to turn I-66 from simply a highway into what VDOT calls a “multimodal corridor.” The $3.7 billion project, slated to be completed later this year, makes improvements, including 22.5 miles of new Express Lanes from Interstate 495

to U.S. 29, new and expanded commuter lots with more than 4,000 new park-and-ride spaces, and 11 miles of new bike and pedestrian trails. The Express Lanes, which work like they do on I-95, opened last year.

• Creating an auxiliary lane on southbound I-95 from Route 123 to Prince William Parkway. This project, completed in the spring, converted about a mile and a half of the existing shoulder area into a travel lane. The idea behind the $23.7 million effort was to make it easier for drivers to merge into and out of traffic between the ramps, a site of frequent backups.

BUILD LOCAL

Prince William’s local transportation program began in the late 1980s and early 1990s, focusing on construction of projects funded by road bonds. A few of the county’s transportation accomplishments since 2013 are:

• Constructing University Boulevard from Prince William Parkway to Sudley Manor Drive in 2013 at a cost of $22.7 million.

• Widening U.S. 1 north from Neabsco Mills to Featherstone Road at a cost of $66.6 million.

• A $113.3 million project to widen Route 28 from Linton Hall Road to Pennsylvania Avenue that began in

2012 and concluded last year.

• The $105 million construction of the interchange at Balls Ford Road and Route 234 bypass, which was finished earlier this year.

Since 2013, Prince William has substantially increased investment in roads, according to the county transportation department. In the adopted fiscal 2013 budget, total funding allocated to transportation projects in the five-year Capital Improvement Program was about $126 million. In the approved fiscal 2023 budget, total transportation funding allocated was about $1.2 billion.

This was achieved mainly by moving from relying on local funds to successfully pursuing state, federal and regional grants. In the past three years alone, the county has received more than $280 million in grants.

“We have gotten more creative and strategic as to where and how we apply for grants,” Canizales said.

Funds also will continue to be spent on several projects, including the Route 28 Bypass and the Route 234-Brentsville Road intersection.

The $300 million Route 28 Bypass will be four lanes and about 3.5 miles, extending from Godwin Drive at Sudley Road and tying into the existing Route 28 in Fairfax County. Engineering and design work for the project is underway.

Meanwhile, ongoing work at Route 234 and Brentsville Road will create a new $55 million interchange that will remove two back-to-back traffic lights.

TRAIN TRIPS

Transportation in Prince William isn’t limited to roads. The Virginia Railway Express carries commuters on two rail lines through the county on weekdays and may in the future expand to include weekend service.

In 2019, then-Gov. Ralph Northam announced “Transforming Rail in Virginia,” a $4 billion package of infrastructure improvements that would, among other things, allow VRE to add weekend trains.

VRE’s Operations Board agreed Sept. 15 to a step toward making that change happen. Board members voted to refer a preliminary budget for the next fiscal year that proposes Saturday service to the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission and the Potomac and Rappahannock Transportation Commission, which oversee VRE.

Before the vote, however, VRE staff noted that adding Saturday service would require additional approvals before becoming a reality.

Nonetheless, said Operations Board Chairman James Walkinshaw, a Fairfax County supervisor: “I think this is a really exciting day for VRE in taking our first formal step to the beginning of Saturday service.”

The first stretch of the Interstate 95 Express Lanes opened in December 2014 and ended in Stafford County. An extension of the lanes to Fredericksburg opened this summer. PHOTO COURTESY SCOTT HIXSON

This aerial photo, taken in May 2015, shows work nearly completed on the Route 29/Linton Hall Road interchange in Gainesville, which eliminated a railroad crossing. ROGER SNYDER | FOR INSIDENOVA

The future is bright for Prince William public transit

Anyone who has been a part of the Prince William County community during the past decade –even the past few years – has seen the county pop with new retail and shopping centers, new manufacturing and industrial companies, jobs that support local industries and the community, and new housing to accommodate a growing population.

There has been a population explosion, and due to the burst in infrastructure residents can now stay in the county to live, work and play, instead of having to travel to surrounding areas. This all has led to an increased need for transit in Prince William, Manassas and Manassas Park. In fact, in recent years there has been more demand for growth in local transit than for commuter services that leave Prince William for other stops in Northern Virginia and Washington.

In the next five to 10 years, we will see continued growth in development and employment opportunities, and this will drive the need for even more public transit in our current footprint. Conversely, more public transit will need to work with business and housing developers to determine transit needs in new areas.

For transit to be more efficient in the next decade, we must find a way for buses to not be hindered by the rising local congestion. Being held up at a light for a mere 15-20 seconds traffic light after traffic light can add up to much longer trips and consequently less frequent trips.

To be faster than a car, buses need to be able to use smart-signal management – in other words, sensors on traffic lights that detect that a bus is waiting and change the signal to allow it through. This will allow for throughput and improved frequency of trips in the long run. This and other future technologies will be crucial for transit in the future.

One piece of technology that has been talked about locally and across the nation is electric vehicles. There’s a heavy-duty fleet battle between battery electric and hydrogen fuel cells, and transit systems, including OmniRide, are looking to the industrial trucking industry as a guide. It is still too early to tell whether it would be a viable option for widespread public transit in Prince William.

Right now, electric is not reliable enough for trucks or buses that must travel long distances, such as OmniRide buses traveling from Prince William to Washington. Electric buses operate best in an urban environment versus long haul service. We will continue to watch these trends in the next three to five years.

However, small to medium electric vehicles are a great option now and for the foreseeable future, and we’re pursuing this technology in our next fleet cycle. As the industry continues to shift to adding other mobility options to their fleets than just buses and trains, (such as microtransit, which utilizes small vans/SUVs to transport people), I foresee more of these companies using electric vehicles.

Over the years, another option that has been suggested is to extend Metro into the Prince William area for those who travel north for employment. That would require our area to first overcome some major obstacles, including building new infrastructure and finding a source of annual funding for Metro.

We already have the infrastructure needed to support buses and these buses would most likely be transporting residents to the local stations. Additionally, while it seems that the Metro would provide faster service out of the area, buses can use the Express lanes on Interstate 66 and Interstate 95 to get into Northern Virginia and Washington.

While we can’t know for sure what the future will bring, I do know that the future will continue to be bright for public transit in Prince William. Transit, particularly OmniRide, is a vital part of the community and will continue to be.

Not only does transit keep residents and the local economy moving, but it cares about its neighbors. For example, OmniRide is proud to give back to the residents of Prince William by partnering with Keep Prince William Beautiful – a local environmental organization. So far, we have worked together to beautify several local bus shelters.

I hope the future sees more of this commitment to our neighbors and that transit will continue to be of key service to the community.

Bob Schneider is executive director of OmniRide, Prince William County’s transit service.

BOB SCHNEIDER

Names changed as medical services expanded

UVA Health, Sentara, Kaiser all now in market

BY JONATHAN HUNLEY For InsideNoVa

Doctors, hospital staffs and other practitioners have been busy over the past 10 years as the Prince William area’s health care community has seen mergers, advances in technology and more opportunities for specialized medical help.

And that has translated to a win for patients, who can now access better care without having to go out of town.

“I really think we’ve upped the care in Prince William County,” said Steve Danziger, who has been involved with UVA Health Prince William Medical Center’s leadership since the Manassas facility was an independent hospital.

The Sudley Road facility, originally known as Prince William Hospital, was built in 1964 and has seen three different ownership groups over the past decade.

It joined the Novant Health network in 2009 and then was jointly run by Novant and Charlottesville-based UVA Health beginning in 2016. It came under full ownership by UVA Health in 2021, along with UVA Health Haymarket Medical Center and UVA Health Culpeper Medical Center.

Novant was well known in its home state of North Carolina, but it didn’t understand this market, Danziger said, and wasn’t familiar to residents here.

“Nobody knew what ‘Novant’ was,” said Danziger, chairman of the UVA Community Health Unified Community Board and a member of two other UVA Health boards. The UVA name, conversely, attracts patients to its facilities and physicians to this area, he added.

“UVA” also connotes a high standard of medical care, said Dr. Douglas Markert, chief clinical officer of the Manassas and Haymarket hospitals. “The brand means a lot in this state.”

In the past, the 130-bed Manassas medical center was a conventional community hospital, but now it’s more like a community hospital “on steroids,” said Markert, who came to work here in 1999 and was the first to bring interventional radiology service to the area.

The facility can tackle a variety of services, including emergency medicine, heart and vascular work, outpatient surgery, diagnostic imaging, women’s and children’s health care, stroke and neurology care, behavioral health care, wound care, and sleep medicine.

The 60-bed Haymarket medical center, meanwhile, opened in 2014, evolving from a freestanding emergency-room operation.

In addition, since UVA Health took over full ownership of the former Novant Health UVA Health System in 2021, it has added more than 50 new providers and

expanded independent physician services here.

“We’re bringing in some highly specialized care,” Markert said.

It also has streamlined emergency room operations, which has translated into shorter wait times for patients, Danziger said.

And if patients need care that can’t be provided here, it’s easy to send them to UVA Health’s doctors in Charlottesville and easy to transfer their medical records.

FROM POTOMAC TO SENTARA

While UVA Health’s largest local facilities are on the western side of the Prince William area, the eastern portion of the region is home to the 183-bed Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center, which began in Woodbridge in 1972 as Potomac Hospital.

It’s also seen its share of growth over the past decade, including expanding work in nursing and imaging.

The Sentara hospital created a program with George Mason University and Northern Virginia Community College in which Sentara nurses serve as clinical instructors in nursing courses.

“This provides a valuable opportunity for our nurses to focus more on classroom didactics and helps support nurse-instructor shortages, which is a current challenge,” said Christina Grabus, vice president and chief nursing officer at the Sentara hospital. “Additionally, it helps the schools to expand student enrollments and programs long-term to help address the current needs for nurses in the workforce.”

Earlier this year, Sentara also opened its Advanced Imaging Center next to the hospital. The facility offers some of the newest and most innovative imag-

ing services using the most advanced technology. Procedures there include 3D mammography, ultrasound, bone density scans, CT scans, PET/CT scans and walkin x-rays.

“An important goal of this facility is to create a patient-centered environment utilizing state-of-the-art design, all created to make care more convenient, accessible and easier for all those we serve,” said Valerie Keane, vice president of operations for the hospital.

KAISER’S ARRIVAL

UVA Health and Sentara aren’t the only big names in health care in the Prince William area, though. Another brand that’s familiar to residents and patients is Kaiser Permanente. It first arrived in Prince William with the opening of its Woodbridge Medical Center in 1986. That was followed in 2019 by the opening of the Haymarket Crossroads Medical Center, a primary care facility to serve western Prince William.

Then in September 2022, Kaiser opened its Caton Hill Medical Center, a 245,000-square-foot facility on Minnieville Road that replaced the Woodbridge Medical Center. It is Northern Virginia’s largest Kaiser Permanente medical center, equipped with cutting-edge technology and aimed at enhancing the patient experience.

The center, which has more than 400 employees, serves about 40,000 members and had about 320,000 patient visits in its first year.

“We are proud that this state-of-the-art facility expands access to award-winning health care in Prince William County, offering a wide spectrum of world-class physicians in over 30 medical specialties, ranging from cardiology and dermatolo-

gy to neurology, obstetrics, gynecology, and more,” said Alton Millwood, Kaiser Permanente’s director of planning, design and construction for national facilities services.

Millwood said the biggest change in health care over the past decade was the widespread adoption of telehealth in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“At Kaiser Permanente, our commitment to telehealth predates the pandemic,” Millwood added. “For decades, health information technology has been an integral component of our integrated care delivery approach.”

INOVA GROWTH

Inova Health System, which operates five hospitals elsewhere in Northern Virginia, also increased its Prince William footprint over the past 10 years. It has served the area’s residents since opening its Juniper Clinic for HIV services in the early to mid-1990s, and most of its 17 local sites have been added since 2013.

The local facilities are on both sides of the county, and cover 17 specialties, including primary care, endocrinology, bariatrics, OB/GYN, and cardiology.

“Prince William is home to a large number of our patients, team members and supply chain providers, and we have recently opened new care sites to help ensure access and meet the health needs of all our residents,” Dr. Stephen Motew, Inova’s chief of clinical enterprise, said in an email. “We are also pleased to collaborate with the Prince William Health District, Prince William County Public Schools and local nonprofit partners in addressing the social drivers of health, including access to care, mental health and economic stability.”

Local leaders celebrate the opening of Kaiser Permanente’s largest East Coast medical center, in Woodbridge, in September 2022. PROVIDED

INSIDER’S VIEW | JEFF JOYNER

Collaboration is key to future of healthcare

In thinking about healthcare these days, it is easy to be overwhelmed. The picture that many pundits and commentators paint is often bleak, but from my vantage point as president of Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center in Woodbridge, there is a great deal of opportunity and innovation that promises positive outcomes for our future.

Healthcare has never been a simple industry with easy answers; however, working together, I believe we can overcome the obstacles we face. We must be proactive in our work and anticipate future needs, always keeping the patient and family members at the forefront of decision-making.

We can enhance and improve the services we offer and create an environment of innovation that not only ensures sustainability but allows us to thrive in the years and decades to come.

We must recognize that the way people access healthcare is changing and we must embrace change. For example, we must further develop the digital/virtual mode of care delivery that became more common during the recent pandemic and benefit from lessons learned.

Offering care in our communities, outside of the walls of a hospital, and meeting people where they are must be more common. Convenience to the consumer is becoming a fundamental part of healthcare. Similarly, it is vital that we ensure the right level of care is provided at the right time in the right location.

One of the things I did in preparing for my current job was to look at the community health needs assessments for Prince William County. Four things were top of mind that must be a part of our work moving forward. They are behavioral health, oncology care, dementia and Alzheimer’s care services, and treatment for opioid addiction. These are not the only issues, of course, but are significant for our community.

Additionally, things that contribute to living a healthy life such as food security, education, job training and access to health services must all be priorities. I am fortunate to work for an organization that recognizes this and is committed to making a difference. However, addressing these issues will necessitate that we bring our collective thoughts, energy and resources together.

As I have been meeting with community leaders throughout Prince William,

I have been listening to their stories, challenges and accomplishments and to the opportunities that they envision. This has given me much insight into the part that healthcare will play in our community.

It is essential to recognize that one organization, one provider, one service agency cannot address all the needs of this community. It requires partnership and collaboration. All of us serving this region must communicate and work together to make the most of the vast resources that are available.

Ultimately, the work we do in healthcare comes down to the people. We need to make sure that we are taking care of the existing workforce by providing the resources they need, by offering training to expand their skills, by listening to our employees and making sure that they are heard. This is essential.

Similarly, we must make sure there is a pipeline of new workers who want to enter the healthcare field. The staffing shortage in our field is only projected to grow. We need to start making investments in the workforce and encouraging our next generation to become involved in health care. The medical field is not the only industry facing staffing shortages, yet few industries are as rewarding as healthcare.

I have just marked my first 100 days as the president of Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center, and I can honestly say it is a delight and privilege to return to the area with my family. My thanks goes to the entire community for welcoming us back. I am excited for what the future holds as we work together to provide the highest level of care possible and to improve health every day in Prince William.

Jeff Joyner is president of Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center.

One organization, one provider, one service agency cannot address all the needs of this community.

JEFF JOYNER

A decade of things to see and do

Venues, parks and arts have experienced changes

BY CAMERON DELEAN cdelean@insidenova.com

Whether you enjoy the ballet or the ballpark, you’ve most likely noticed the evolution of arts and recreation in Prince William County over the past 10 years.

Performance venues, public parks, sports teams and the fine arts community have all seen a fair share of change as the county continues to grow.

PARKS AND THE OUTDOORS

Prince William is home to national parks, wildlife reserves and over 60 miles of trails. With ever-evolving plans and new developments, residents and visitors have been kept on their toes.

Before 2012, parks and recreation in Prince William was operated as its own authority with autonomy to make planning and spending decisions, but limited opportunities for what could be provided to the public free of charge.

After becoming part of county government, the Prince William County Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism was born and able to have more influence on allocation of county funds. This provided the department with the ability to develop significant projects like Neabsco Creek Boardwalk in Woodbridge and Harbor Drive Wellness Park in Lake Ridge, as well as to make infrastructure improvements on existing parks.

While many organizations struggled to keep afloat during the pandemic, the

parks and recreation industry thrived.

“COVID in a way accelerated all our investments in the parks budget,” said the department’s director, Seth Hendler-Voss, adding that the department is in the process of completing $17 million worth of park improvement projects using money provided through the American Rescue Plan Act.

Additionally, Hendler-Voss said the department not only retained its entire workforce, but continued development and planning for capital projects all through the pandemic.

“The pandemic kind of shined a spotlight on the outdoor spaces,” said the department’s communications director,

Amir Wenrich. “No one had anywhere to go and everything was shut down…and that naturally drew people to parks so I think it was sort of a blessing in disguise.”

The department has managed to maintain that momentum post-pandemic with projects such as the new Rollins Ford Park in Nokesville, which opens Oct. 7.

The department even received a policy goal from the Board of County Supervisors to double park acreage in Prince William County from 5,000 to 10,000 acres.

SPORTS FANS AND MORE

Minor league baseball fans remember all too well the departure of the Potomac Nationals, or P-Nats, the high Class A

affiliate of the Washington Nationals, who moved south to Fredericksburg in 2020 after failing to persuade county officials to help them build a new stadium.

Football fans remember the name change of the Washington Commanders in 2020 and the National Football League approving the team’s sale from Dan Snyder to a group led by Josh Harris earlier this year. A site in Woodbridge is on the Commanders’ short list of possible new stadium locations to replace FedEx Field in Landover, Md.

Regardless of what sport you prefer or team you root for, one thing is clear: Prince William County residents and visitors love their sports.

“Second after shopping or cultural sites, our open spaces and our athletic facilities are the reason why people come to Prince William County,” Hendler-Voss said. Hendler-Voss said Prince William is leaning into sports tourism, but rather than focusing on professional sports, the county is working to attract large youth sporting events.

For example, Prince William welcomed USA BMX riders and their families for the 2023 Battlefield Nationals in June. According to Hendler-Voss, the threeday event was a success, drawing about 12,000 visitors from 30 states and three countries.

LIVE AND IN-PERSON

The county has seen its fair share of talented performers, thanks to some notable venues.

The Hylton Performing Arts Center has stood as a defining landmark of George Mason University’s Prince William campus since it opened in 2011. The center was the home to fan-favorite performances until 2020, when in-person

The Open Space Arts Gallery opened in 2022 at Stonebridge. CAMERON DELEAN | INSIDENOVA

Prince William County’s newest park, Rollins Ford Park, is scheduled to open next month in Nokesville. PROVIDED

The Manassas Ballet Theatre presented “Colin” at the Hylton Performing Arts Center in 2018, and it will return this fall.

MELANIE BEUS | MELEPHOTO ARTS & RECREATION

INSIDER’S VIEW | RICK DAVIS

Diversity in the arts is likely to continue

Prognostication is perilous in almost any domain, from sports to technology to politics, so why should the arts be any different?

Nevertheless, the invitation to think ahead is irresistible, and artists tend to be looking toward (or over) the horizon anyway – it’s one of the things that society expects from us. So whither the arts in Prince William County?

I often say that “the arts create community” (it’s our four-word elevator speech). When people come together to witness a performance, watch a film or take in an exhibition, it forges a temporary but meaningful bond through the sharing of a common experience.

It is just as true that the community creates the arts. As communities change, they need or want different kinds of experiences, and the arts in Prince William reflect the county’s dynamism, diversity and increasing social and intellectual energy. This is a positive trend and one I believe will continue to grow in both quantity and quality of artistic experiences being offered to the community.

I see that from my vantage point at the Hylton Performing Arts Center as we choose our annual roster of visiting professional artists and facilitate the ever-more-ambitious productions of our arts partners and affiliates. These groups represent the best of the local and regional performing arts community.

In both cases, the changing demographics, economics and zeitgeist of Prince William are being directly reflected in the work we see on our stages and in our gallery. The recent Arts Alive! event on Sept. 10 (a partnership between the Hylton Center and the Prince William Arts Council) offers an example of this principle in action. Artists and audiences from all over the region, of every demographic descriptor, presented and enjoyed work in a dizzying variety of styles and forms. The building was buzzing for five hours with thousands of participants.

A casual glance at the Hylton Center’s programming and the offerings of our partners and affiliates (along with other manifestations across Northern Virginia and beyond) will confirm the notion that increasing variety and diversity – of subject, style, origin, identity, genre and scale – is an established trend that I believe will continue (and should continue) into the next five or 10 years.

I say both “will” and “should” because it is a trend that our changing region has asked for and one that artists, with our antennae tuned to the needs of the communities we serve (and our eyes on the horizon), are eager to support.

If there are any storm clouds over that horizon, they come in the form of economic uncertainties. The arts have always been a bit of a gamble. (An old joke, attributed to playwright Robert Anderson from the Broadway of the 1950s when it was much more robust than today, goes like this: “You can make a killing in the American theater, but you can’t make a living.”)

The nonprofit arts sector started coming into its own in the 1960s and ’70s to bring the arts to a nationwide audience, and the funding model of foundation, corporate and limited government support to augment private philanthropy and earned income continues to operate, but in an increasingly fragile environment.

A relatively safe prediction for the next five years (because it’s already happening) is a reexamination of structure and funding by arts institutions and organizations. There will be (already have been) some losses of cherished programs and companies, though thankfully our region has not been as deeply affected as some.

The silver lining (or the rainbow after the storm) may come in the form of a rediscovery of mission, of fundamental principles and questions such as “why do we value the arts, and how should we pay for them?”

I believe good answers exist if we keep asking the right questions, and when in doubt, go back to the elevator speech to remember that “the arts create community.” And we always need that.

Rick Davis is dean of the College of Visual and Performing Arts at George Mason University and executive director of the Hylton Performing Arts Center.

shows were canceled due to social distancing requirements. But the center survived and in 2022-23 completed its first full post-pandemic season of in-person events.

The center remains a platform for a diverse lineup of artists and ensembles across a variety of genres, including iconic seasonal performances such as “The Nutcracker.”

In warmer months, Jiffy Lube Live in Bristow has remained a hotspot for its summer concert series. The venue has been a popular outdoor live performance amphitheater since 1995 and draws crowds from around the state each year.

THE FUTURE OF ART

Herb Williams has high hopes for the future of fine arts in Prince William County. Williams is the county’s Arts Recreation Specialist and has served as a liaison between the Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism and the Arts Council for the past three years.

The most significant change Williams has noticed is the developing sense of unity and camaraderie in the arts over the past decade in the area. He believes the arts can have a

powerful impact on youth in the community.

“Part of the reason why I’ve been an advocate for the arts is because I know that it can save lives,” Williams said. “And there are a lot of youth in Prince William County, young adults and teens that don’t have the same exposure, I guess for lack of programming or lack of funding.”

Williams said he hasn’t seen a change in the county’s art budget for about seven years.

But according to Williams, the Open Space Arts Gallery, which opened in 2022, is a step in the right direction for the art community. The facility at Stonebridge at Potomac Town Center is presented by the Prince William Arts Council in conjunction with the Prince William Art Society.

The gallery features rotating work by local artists pertaining to different themes. Each piece featured in the gallery is for sale, with all proceeds going directly to the artist.

“My vision is that here in Prince William County, there will be an opportunity to do something that hasn’t been done before, and create a multi disciplined arts space… where kids can come and be engulfed in every discipline of the arts,” Williams said.

RICK DAVIS

The Bluebell Fesitval is held every year at Merrimac Farm in Nokesville. CAMERON DELEAN | INSIDENOVA

Pandemic, vacancies have affected local schools

Teacher pay negotiations present newest challenge

BY JARED FORETEK jforetek@insidenova.com

LaTanya McDade took over as superintendent of Prince William County Public Schools at a time of historic upheaval.

The county School Board only months before had negotiated a tense agreement to return students to in-person learning, and she replaced Steve Walts, who had led the system for 16 years when he retired, leaving big shoes to fill.

In the two-plus years since, McDade has left her mark in several ways, focusing her strategic plan on post-graduation readiness, bolstering reading and math instruction, and working to find ways to better secure school buildings. But her administration has also had to spend lots of time and effort on something that was once considered fairly routine: filling vacancies.

The COVID-19 pandemic reshaped public school education across the nation in several lasting ways, accelerating the proliferation of learning technology for students and driving a decline in standardized test scores and attendance that has been stubbornly persistent more than three years after schools first closed for in-person learning.

But the nationwide teacher shortage – which by most metrics predated the pandemic but was exacerbated by its impacts – has also had a dramatic effect on how Prince William schools and other divisions recruit, both in terms of how and where they find prospective educators.

The traditional American teacher pipelines – bachelor’s or master’s teaching programs at four-year universities – have become more diminished by the year over the past decade.

According to a 2022 report from the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education, the number of education degrees conferred to graduates dropped to fewer than 90,000 in 201819, below a third of what it had been in 2008. Over the same period, special education degrees fell by 4%, science and math education degrees dropped by 27% and foreign language education degrees declined by 44%.

ALTERNATIVE PROGRAMS STARTED

In response, the county’s school system has beefed up its alternative pathways into teaching. There’s more money than ever this fiscal year for the school division’s teacher-in-residency program for graduate students, and the school system kicked off its first apprenticeship program for undergraduates.

Those programs are designed to build off the division’s Teaching Professionals on Temporary Assignment program, which for several years now has given

college graduates with a baseline level of education the opportunity to teach and obtain valuable classroom experience while working toward state licensure.

“Enrollment in formal teacher prep programs across the country is down about 30%, so there are not as many teacher college graduates … and this has been a problem that’s been building, although I think the pandemic derailed a lot of folks in terms of education,” Donna Eagle, the system’s chief human resources officer, told InsideNoVa in an interview earlier this year. “As a result, we’ve really spent significant time investing in alternative pathways to teacher licensure. This is one of a host of programs that the division is doing.”

The apprenticeship program is new in Virginia. Under a new Virginia Depart-

ment of Education grant program, tuition and fees can be paid for in return for a service commitment to work in “hardto-staff” schools for three years after graduation.

The Prince William program will be run in conjunction with Virginia Commonwealth University, incentivizing undergraduates to pursue a teaching degree and to work where they’re most needed.

“I think everyone is seeing it’s a game-changer in addressing the teacher shortage that is nationally hitting us and especially by removing the financial barriers that have existed, at this point, for so many individuals that want to go into teaching but have not been able to take off their job and pay for the coursework to do so,” Shelby Elliot, PWCS’s administrative coordinator for certification and compli-

ance, told InsideNoVa earlier this year.

THE UNION EFFECT

And now, a new player on the county’s education scene is looking to shake up the school system’s retention and recruitment efforts. In what will likely prove to be one of the biggest changes to state schools in the last decade, teachers unions are turning up the heat on school boards around Virginia, and nowhere more so than in Prince William.

This winter, the Prince William Education Association won the biggest public sector union vote in the state’s history, becoming the collective bargaining representative for all of the school system’s nearly 12,000 non-administrative employees.

“We are so grateful for the many leaders in Prince William County Schools, all of you educators [who] got us to today,” PWEA President Maggie Hansford said at the time of the vote. “A vote ‘yes’ is a vote for collective bargaining and a vote for you, your colleague and all of your students.”

In the first round of collective bargaining between teachers and policymakers the state has seen since the 2021 repeal of Virginia’s ban on public sector bargaining, the union is already pushing hard for pay increases it says are needed to keep the area’s schools competitive on hiring and maintaining the best educators around.

But whatever the outcome of their demands for pay raises this year, the need for teachers is a problem that took a decade to reach its current point. And it could take another 10 years to find a lasting solution.

Dozens of teachers, staff and supporters held signs to protest plans for Prince William schools to return in-person instruction before a School Board meeting in August 2020. INSIDENOVA FILE PHOTO

Prince William’s youngest students were the first to return to in-person learning, in the late fall of 2020. Among them was Hallie Copenhaver, who worked on assignments behind plexiglass shields at Occoquan Elementary School. INSIDENOVA FILE PHOTO

Educators must address changes and diversity

In today’s rapidly changing landscape, education finds itself at a pivotal crossroads. As a leader in education, it is imperative that we address the profound changes both on the global stage and in our rapidly transitioning school system to prepare our diverse graduates with the knowledge, skills and habits necessary to launch a thriving future for themselves and their communities.

To meet the needs of the next 10 years, we must embrace the evolving demographics of our schools, the influence of artificial intelligence and the crucial role of education in preparing students for an ever-changing future.

Over the past five years, our enrollment has evolved in tandem with the changing landscape of Prince William County. Prince William Public Schools is the second-largest school division in Virginia and the 33rd largest in the nation.

In a community that ranks as the 10th most diverse in the United States, our schools mirror this diversity, with a 25% English learner student population, nearly 13% of students with identified disabilities and an economically disadvantaged student body making up almost 50% of our enrollment.

With about 72% of our students from minority backgrounds, our commitment to diversity is both unwavering and our superpower. These shifts in demographics require us as a community to think differently and solve

problems in new ways. Doing things as we always have will not bring the results we all expect.

As we embrace this diversity and changing landscape inside our classrooms, we must also adapt to the shifting world outside our classrooms, including the emergence of AI, which has captivated the world, revolutionized industries and prompted awe and apprehension from experts and users.

AI’s rapid advancement demands a paradigm shift of our approach to teaching and learning. The very skills that define the 21st-century graduate – critical thinking, creative problem-solving, collaboration – are increasingly intertwined with the capabilities of AI.

Due to the global pandemic, the integration of technology in our classrooms was immediate, leaving educators playing catch-up. As the pace of technological innovation accelerates, our school systems are challenged to keep pace. AI’s rapid learning, relearning and information generation underscores the importance of continuous learning.

A sobering realization is that our students’ futures depend on their ability to adapt to these technological advances and our ability to deliver an education that sets them up for success.

McKinsey Global Institute estimates that by 2030, around 12 million workers may need to change jobs, prompting a demand for retraining or “upskilling.” This shift could value specific skill sets as much as, or even

more than, formal degrees.

Amid this transformation, our educators hold the key to unlocking our students’ potential. AI may reshape jobs, but it can never replicate the profound human connection between teacher and student.

In this era of change, collaboration and innovation are our guiding stars. Our ability to adapt, innovate and empower students with skills that transcend technology is paramount. Our graduates must emerge as critical thinkers, digital citizens, visionaries, resilient learners and global collaborators, prepared to take on the 21st-century global economy.

As we imagine the classroom of tomorrow, we should prioritize three objectives: an unwavering commitment to support every student by name and by need, to drive decisions and continuous improvement based on data, and to embrace innovation and creativity in our classrooms and in developing solutions to our greatest challenges.

Education is the fulcrum on which our students’ futures balance. At the world’s astonishing speed of change, our ability to remain visionaries, embrace innovation and engage students will determine our success as educators. The challenges are real, but so are the opportunities. Our students and our community are counting on us to rise to the occasion and prepare them for a bright and thriving future.

Dr. LaTanya D. McDade is superintendent of Prince William County Public Schools.

LATANYA MCDADE

LLENCE 35

The

lifestyle you want. The support you need.

Potomac Place is an award-winning community nestled in a quiet, wooded neighborhood, just a short drive from all that Prince William County has to offer. Friendly neighbors and caring team members will help you feel at home.

Potomac Place is an award-winning community nestled in a quiet, wooded neighborhood, just a short drive from all that Prince William County has to offer. Friendly neighbors and caring team members will help you feel at home.

Potomac Place is an award-winning community nestled in a quiet, wooded neighborhood, just a short drive from all that Prince William County has to offer. Friendly neighbors and caring team members will help you feel at home.

Plus, vibrant activities, licensed nurses, and delicious dining are only steps away from your spacious apartment!

Plus, vibrant activities, licensed nurses, and delicious dining are only steps away from your spacious apartment!

Plus, vibrant activities, licensed nurses, and delicious dining are only steps away from your spacious apartment!

Spend your quality time doing the things you love. We’ll take care of the rest. Call 703-494-3817 today to schedule your tour.

A blue county with some pockets of purple and red

BY TREVOR BARATKO tbaratko@insidenova.com

Ten years ago, the Prince William Board of County Supervisors was chaired by conservative firebrand Corey Stewart, and Republicans held six of the eight seats. On the congressional level, Republican Rep. Frank Wolf represented the county, as he had since the late 1970s.

Today, the county board is led by Democrat Ann Wheeler, and Democrats hold a 5-3 majority. In Congress, two Democrats are representing the county in the House of Representatives – Abigail Spanberger in the 7th District, which includes much of eastern Prince William, and Jennifer Wexton in the 10th District, comprising the western portion of the county and beyond. (The most recent redistricting split the county into two congressional districts.)

In presidential contests, Prince William has been a stronghold for the Democratic nominee since Barack Obama in 2008, who notably closed his historic campaign at the county fairgrounds in Manassas.

Yet, to simply paint Prince William blue and call it a day ignores the idiosyncrasies of Virginia’s second-largest county.

areas of the county farthest from I-95.”

Indeed, said David Ramadan, who represented parts of Prince William as a Republican member of the House of Delegate from 2012-2016. Ramadan, who now teaches at George Mason University’s Schar School of Government, was quick to highlight several local issues that transcend traditional party politics.

“With the exception of pockets like the Gainesville and Haymarket area … yes, the county moved blue,” Ramadan said in an interview with InsideNoVa. “I don’t see it trending otherwise anytime soon, except all politics are local, and there are issues that overcome partisanship.”

‘LAND USE, LAND USE, LAND USE’

Ramadan swiftly steered the conversation to the topic of data centers, which has made for interesting bedfellows in western Prince William of late. Chair Wheeler’s steadfast support for the data center industry is widely viewed as the reason she was defeated in the Democratic primary over the summer, a loss that came despite a significant campaign cash advantage over challenger Deshundra Jefferson, who touted herself the more progressive Democrat.

Spend your quality time doing the things you love. We’ll take care of the rest.

Spend your quality time doing the things you love. We’ll take care of the rest.

“It’s clear that Prince William County has moved in a significantly pro-Democratic direction in the last several years,” Dr. Stephen Farmsworth, a political scientist with the University of Mary Washington, told InsideNoVa. “But it’s also the case that the political environment remains unsettled, particularly in the

Jefferson is far less bullish on data centers than Wheeler, as is the Republican nominee, current Brentsville District Supervisor Jeanine Lawson. And aligning closely with these two on data center development is Democratic state Del. Danica Roem. “Land

Call 703-494-3817 today to schedule your tour.

Call 703-494-3817 today to schedule your tour.

ASSISTED

2133 Montgomery Ave., Woodbridge potomacplace.com

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The lifestyle you want. The support you need.

The lifestyle you want. The support you need.

Corey Stewart speaks to supporters in Woodbridge in June 2018 after winning the Republican nomination for U.S. Senator from Virginia. He lost the fall election to incumbent Democrat Tim Kaine by 16 percentage points. INSIDENOVA

said when talking about the county’s political landscape.

The third-term delegate, who covered Prince William as a journalist for a decade before running for public office, stressed that politicians in Prince William must be engaged and informed when it comes to growth and development.

“You cannot be on the wrong side of land use in western Prince William in the eyes of the voter and expect the voter to reluctantly support you anyway,” Roem said. “That does not happen in western Prince William County – they will absolutely buck you.”

Backing her statement, Roem pointed to Wexton’s victory in the heavily Republican Heritage Hunt precinct in 2022.

“When was the last time you ever heard the sentence, ‘A Democrat won Heritage Hunt.’? … Heritage Hunt went Democratic. What? What planet are we living on?” Roem said. “And then, just a few months later, [Republican] Bob Weir won a special [Board of Supervisors] election where he took Heritage Hunt by almost 50 points.”

In their respective elections, Wexton and Weir held the land-use views welcome in western Prince William, including environmental and property value protection. Residents of Heritage Hunt have led the charge against data centers in the more-rural west.

RED TO BLUE

Taking a broad step back, though, Prince William’s shift from red to blue began roughly two decades ago.

“Prince William’s change started in 2005 when Tim Kaine won it in the gubernatorial race,” Roem said. “That was the beginning of Prince William’s transfor-

mation from red-leaning, kind-of-competitive battleground – depending on turnout models – to becoming a Democratic stronghold.”

With diverse households and denser population, the cities of Manassas and Manassas Park and points east are what have driven the darker blue tint. This is where the majority of the county’s minority residents live, with the latest Census figures tabbing the county’s Hispanic population at roughly 26%, Black as 22% and Asian as 11%.

National issues like immigration and government spending are acutely felt throughout the county. Supporting federal government shutdowns and taking aggressive stances on immigration – positions not uncommon for prominent national Republicans –aren’t winning platforms in Prince William, Roem and Ramadan each said.

“Eastern Prince William has turned blue. That’s not my analysis – that’s a statement of fact,” Roem said. She noted that, other than the mayor of Quantico (population less than 600), all Republican office-holders in Prince William are in the western portion of the county.

Minority engagement is imperative for aspiring politicians in Prince William, and that’s one reason Democratic candidates have seen success in the east.

Ramadan, a first-generation American himself, said immigration is a very real issue for a large contingent of county voters.

“On a very emotional level, every immigrant wants grandma to be able to immigrate as well,” he added. “And when you’re fighting immigration as a political party or a political candidate and saying, ‘Grandma cannot come in,’ you’re going to lose that person regardless

of what else you’re doing.”

Which brings it back to Stewart, whose hard-line views on immigration during his tenure brought a flurry of national media attention to Prince William. As county chair, Stewart led a resolution aimed at cracking down on illegal immigration, and he lobbied to cut off services to people in the country illegally. He went on to serve as Virginia state chair for Donald Trump’s presidential campaign.

Ramadan said Stewart won countywide election despite – not because of – his immigration positions.

“He didn’t win because he was a Republican or because he had a message that resonated with Prince William,” Ramadan opined. “He won because he had a huge war chest – mostly from developers – and he ran better campaigns. Ideologically, he was not … aligned with the majority of the county. The majority of the county was center-left at the time, and he was a far-right guy.”

While Stewart’s conservative and oft-controversial views generated headlines, his latest bid for statewide office fell short when he lost the 2018 U.S. Senate contest to Kaine by 16 percentage points.

Now, there are whispers of another statewide campaign from a Prince William-connected candidate, with Spanberger’s name floated as a possible Democratic contender for governor in 2025.

“Prince William is, in many ways, where the action is in Virginia these days,” said Farmsworth, the Mary Washington professor. “You look at a number of statewide candidates who have come out of Northern Virginia – and Prince William, in particular – in recent cycles and you can see just how influential Prince William County is.”

From books to appliances, changes and more

Editor’s Note: InsideNoVa asked selected advertisers in this section to provide some thoughts about their history, their current business or their future. Their responses follow – with minor edits for clarity, style and grammar.

MCKAY USED BOOKS

Wow. We have all seen a lot of changes in recent years, but in many ways, McKay Used Books is still the same bookstore now as it was 40 years ago.

We are proud to offer hundreds of thousands of items on our shelves, with an inventory that changes daily. We still work directly with our customers to trade in their beloved books, games, movies and music so they can pick out new ones.

McKay Used Books has many more toys, board games and puzzles on the shelves today than in the past. We have also begun to trade in retro gaming consoles – it has been a lot of fun to see those old favorites.

Another change is that McKay Used Books has started ordering a few new books that are frequently requested. These “pink-sticker” books tend to be higher-priced because they were not traded in, but purchased new, and they tend to be up on display near the front door, so keep going. You will see the more typical second-hand pricing you have come to expect from McKay Used Books shelved within your favorite sections.

McKay Used Books continues to focus on books and having something for everyone! Reread, replay, repeat – at McKay Used Books.

OMNIRIDE

OmniRide has been a part of the Prince William community for over 37 years. In the past 10 years OmniRide has expanded its footprint – adding several new services.

OmniRide expanded commuter services for western Prince William, Manassas and Manassas Park residents with express routes that use the Interstate 66 corridor. This includes the most recent addition of the OmniRide Express 608 from Manassas to the Dulles corridor.

OmniRide also has introduced two express routes originating from the Staffordboro Commuter Lot in Stafford. OmniRide uses the Interstate 95 Express lanes to take residents from the lot to the Pentagon and points in the District of Columbia.

The organization also added flexibility with new mo-

bility services that uses vans instead of buses. OmniRide Connect microtransit allows riders in Manassas/Manassas Park and Dumfries/Triangle/Quantico to book a ride through an app or by calling OmniRide’s customer service office. OmniRide Access is a paratransit service for people with disabilities. Vans operate within three-quarters of a mile of the OmniRide Local bus routes that serve Manassas and Manassas Park.

OmniRide has come a long way in the past 10 years of service and anticipates bigger and better changes for the future to meet the needs of the growing community. This includes expansion of local routes on the eastern side of Prince William starting in the spring of 2024.

For more information on OmniRide services visit OmniRide.com.

BRENNAN’S HEATING AND AIR CONDITIONING

Brennan’s HVAC has provided homeowners in Prince William County with quality service, sales and installation of HVAC equipment for over 40 years. Our staff of experts will work hard to solve your comfort needs, no matter if they’re residential or commercial, large or small. Whether you need routine maintenance, emergency service repairs or a complete system installation, our team of trained technicians is available 24/7.

Thank you to all our customers. We are looking forward to providing you with the best possible service into the future.

PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY PARKS

Halloween is just around the corner, making now the perfect time to start planning those fun Halloween activities for yourself and your family. Prince William County Parks and Recreation has several Halloween activities planned for the month of October.

These include a Family Pumpkin Carving Contest at Veterans Memorial Park on Oct. 14, campfire ghost stories at Ben Lomond on Oct. 27, and a Full Moon Hike along the Neabsco Creek Boardwalk on Oct. 28. Find information on these and other activities and register at pwcparks.info/halloween

Want even more information from Prince William parks at your fingertips? There are so many ways to “Stay Connected” with us to find out about the latest programs, events and activities. We encourage you to follow

Digital Library

us on social media and sign up for our newsletter. Learn about all the ways you can “Stay Connected” with Parks: pwcparks.info/stayconnected

I-66 EXPRESS MOBILITY PARTNERS (EMP)

The new 66 Express Outside the Beltway lanes were built to handle the movement of goods, services, and people along the entire Interstate 66 corridor outside the Beltway.

I-66 Express Mobility Partners is a consortium of leading infrastructure companies under a 50-year contract (through 2066) with the Virginia Department of Transportation to operate and maintain the 66 Express Lanes between Gainesville and the Capital Beltway.

The 66 Express is designed to move you more reliably and efficiently, getting you to the moments that matter most. From I-495 to Route 29 in Gainesville, you can choose to use the 66 Express, the regular non-tolled lanes or a combination of both depending upon your travel needs.

With all-electronic, cashless tolling, the 66 Express is easy to use, but you can also expect a consistent and reliable trip with faster, more predictable drive times – even at rush hour. The 66 Express helps you spend more time with family and friends and less time stuck in traffic.

Take advantage of the time saving benefits offered on the I-66 Express between Gainesville and the Capital Beltway. For more information visit www.ride66express. com.

APPLIANCE CONNECTION

Founded in 1985 by Mark and Pam Tonnesen, Appliance Connection has been serving Northern Virginia and the entire Washington metro area for over 38 years. We have grown over those years to become one of the nation’s largest appliance retailers, and with a visit to our showroom, you’ll know why. Our 20,000-squarefoot showroom offers the largest appliance display in the Mid-Atlantic, with most brands and an impressive selection of models on display. Our sales consultants are here to help you choose appliances to fit your needs in any style and any budget.

13851 Telegraph Road, Unit 101, Woodbridge, 22192 applianceconnection.net (703) 492-7283

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