EYES ON THE PRIZE: Brentsville baseball is among five county teams in the state title hunt. Pages 9-10
June 5, 2019 | Vol. 18, No. 23 | www.princewilliamtimes.com | 50¢ Covering Prince William County and surrounding communities, including Gainesville, Haymarket, Dumfries, Occoquan, Quantico and the cities of Manassas and Manassas Park.
Dems vying for top prosecutor, sheriff point to experience By Jill Palermo
Times Staff Writer
Amy Ashworth and Tracey Lenox, the two attorneys vying for the Democratic nomination for commonwealth’s attorney, agree on a lot, includ- DEMOCRATIC ing that there’s PRIMARY JUNE 11 been racial disAMY ASHWORTH TRACEY LENOX crimination in the administrafor Prince William County sheriff tion of justice in Prince William and also hold similar views. that the county should reinstate a drug Both Josh King, a Fairfax County court for nonviolent offenders arrested sheriff’s deputy and U.S. Army vetfor low-level drug possession. eran, and Brian Fields, a Dumfries The two law-enforcement officers town councilman, former police ofvying to be the Democratic nominee ficer and National Guardsman, agree
JOSH KING
BRIAN FIELDS
on what could be a key issue in the fall campaign against Republican incumbent Sheriff Glen Hill. Both say the county should end its controversial 287(g) agreement with Immigration and Customs Enforcement that authorizes Prince William
sheriff’s deputies to act as immigration agents in the county jail. King says the 287(g) program is inappropriate in a majority-minority community and “has been used to discriminate against people of color.” “I want to find another way of dealing with this immigration problem, but I don’t think us trying to detain and deport [undocumented immigrants] is the way,” King said. Fields notes his own family is comprised of immigrants. Both Fields’ wife and his nephew, who he and his wife are raising, immigrated to the U.S. from Central America, Fields said.
See DEMS, Page 4
Tough Mudder no more? After some object to park venue, county mulls event’s future By Jill Palermo
Times Staff Writer
COURTESY PHOTO Participants in the June 1 and 2 Tough Mudder scramble up and over the huge “Mudderhorn” obstacle at Silver Lake Park. INSIDE Classified............................................15 Looking Back......................................11 Lifestyle..............................................12 Opinion.................................................5
Obituaries...........................................14 Puzzles.................................................8 Real Estate..........................................12 Sports...................................................9
More than 7,500 people descended on sleepy Silver Lake Park last weekend to clamber over a giant, ropelooped peak, slide on their backs through muddy pits and traverse about nine miles of wooded trail — all to complete an muck-soaked event known as the “Tough Mudder.” But the decision to hold the event in a western Prince William County park designated for “passive recreation” stirred up a controversy almost as messy as the race itself.
See MUDDER, Page 2
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Prince William Times | www.princewilliamtimes.com | June 5, 2019
After some object to park venue, county mulls event’s future MUDDER, from Page 1 After a vocal outcry from some residents and members of the Prince William Conservation Alliance, Supervisor Pete Candland announced even before Tough Mudder’s June 1 kickoff that 2019 would be the first and last time the extreme obstacle course would be held at Silver Lake Park, located on Antioch Road outside Haymarket. “The county will not be doing another Tough Mudder at Silver Lake Park,” Candland, R-Gainesville, said to applause during a May 30 town hall meeting at Heritage Hunt. “This has been committed to by parks and recreation. This has been committed to by the deputy county executive. They will not hold another event at Silver Lake Park.” The news came a day after county officials confirmed Tough Mudder was slated to receive about $42,000 in county incentives and other work by county staff. The amount includes a $35,000 tourism grant and about $7,000 in work by county staff to cut new trails, widen existing trails and mow paths through the park’s tall, grassy meadows so participants could more easily reach the course’s 25 obstacles. The incentive money, which has not yet been fully paid, is based on an estimate that the event would stimulate about $1.6 million in economic activity in the county through hotel rooms,
restaurant, gas and related purchases by Tough Mudder participants. The county will be assessing the event’s economic impact over the next several weeks, said Brent Heavner, spokesman for the county’s department of parks, recreation and tourism. Already, Heavner said, the county knows that only 1,517 of the 7,500 Tough Mudders were residents of Prince William County, Manassas and Manassas Park, meaning about 6,000 came from outside the immediate area (although it’s not known yet how many stayed overnight.) Opponents said it was inappropriate to hold the event at a public park designated solely for passive use — meaning hiking, fishing and picnicking — since it was donated to the county by the developer of the nearby Dominion Valley residential neighborhood back in 2006. Resident Elena Schlossberg became alarmed at the construction underway at the park over Memorial Day weekend, when Tough Mudder contractors had begun excavating dirt pits and constructing the obstacles. Schlossberg was back at the park on Monday, June 3, to assess the damage, which she declared “gross.” The lake water was brown, the fields a muddy mess, she said. “The lake eventually will return to its proper state, but how long will that take is the question,” Schlossberg said. Renting out the park for eco-
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nomic development purposes means denying taxpayers access to a natural area they pay to maintain, she noted. “I think the damage was pretty much as expected,” said Kim Hosen, executive director of the Prince William Conservation Alliance. “Silver Lake is a natural area, and that was a pretty intense use. The streams and wetlands will take a hit and it will take some time to recover.” Hosen said her group will continue to push the board of supervisors to place a conservation easement on the Silver Lake Park property as a show of their commitment to keep from using the park for such events in the future. Candland said he supports that idea and will work to ensure the county does not enter into future economic development projects that require physical changes to county-owned parkland. “You’ve got a situation here with Silver Lake Park where you’ve got a private organization out there dramatically, physically altering certain parts of the property,” Candland said. “In the end, this is taxpayer-funded property.” The county signed a contract with Tough Mudder that extends until 2023. Candland said the county intends to work with Tough Mudder to find an alternate location — ideally on private property—for the event to be held in future years. If that doesn’t work out, Candland said the county would attempt to extract itself from its agreement with Tough Mudder by ceasing any county incentives. “If Tough Mudder is not willing to work with us on finding another location, we just stop all incentives and they’ll go away. We’re providing significant incentives. Once they have to start paying for all of those things, they’ll go away,” Candland said.
Park to be restored by end of July Dad. Husband. Immigrant. Human Rights Lawyer. Democratic Candidate for VA Senate 28
Silver Lake was closed to the public for 10 days for the event, from Monday, May 27 — Memorial Day — to Wednesday, June 5. Work to restore the park will continue through Friday, June 14, so areas affected will be off-limits to visitors accordingly, Heavner said. The parks department expects that the grounds will return to normal by
the end of July, Heavner said. . “This will involve not only regrading disturbed areas but also adding topsoil where needed to promote ground cover regrowth. In open field areas, grass will be re-seeded. In other areas natural vegetation and understory will be allowed to regrow,” Heavner said in an email. “I think the event itself was well run and executed according to plan,” Heavner added. “I think that as we look back on it, the event was pretty successful.” Seth Hendler-Voss, director of Prince William’s department of parks, recreation and tourism, acknowledged that the county must work with the community to determine what kinds of special events are appropriate for which venues. Still, Hendler-Voss said concerns about damaging natural assets at Silver Lake Park were overblown. The park — comprised of a manmade lake, former campground and farmland — has only limited ecologically sensitive areas, none of which were impacted by the Tough Mudder course, he said. “Silver Lake Park is a gorgeous gem of a park, but there are few dedicated, ecologically sensitive areas in that park. … The narrative that has been spun is that Tough Mudder is taking place at a park with an extremely high level of ecologically sensitive areas and that is not true,” he said. “The actual course itself has been route through old farmland, old campgrounds, old quarry sites. Zero percent of the excavated areas have any designated ecologically sensitive characteristics. … So, literally, we’re digging holes in farm fields.” Hendler-Voss said he hoped to appeal to residents’ patience and asked them not to judge the event before cleanup is complete. One goal of the event, he said, was to introduce more people to Prince William County’s parks. “We’re not in the business of locking up our parks to public use. I want thousands of people to come to Silver Lake Park so they can come back and fish,” Hendler-Voss said. “It’s all about growing our parks’ usership.” Reach Jill Palermo at jpalermo@ fauquier.com
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Prince William Times | www.princewilliamtimes.com | June 5, 2019
Betting on Dumfries?
NEWS
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Colonial Downs picks Dumfries for new horse-race betting parlor By Jill Palermo
Times Staff Writer
The Colonial Downs Group has its sights set on Dumfries as one of two new locations for its next “Rosie’s Gaming Emporium” brand of pari-mutuel betting parlors. But Dumfries voters will have the final say if the effort reaches the ballot this November. The Colonial Downs Group, which is relaunchCOURTESY PHOTO ing its New Kent County, Virginia, horseracing An artist’s rendering of Rosie’s Gaming Emporium betting parlor in New Kent County, Virginia. track this summer, announced May 30 that longtime Dumfries resident Linda Wilkins submitted tax revenue might as well stay closer to home, racing and “historical horse racing,” which happaperwork to initiate the process of placing a ref- Surovell said. pens through a machine. erendum on the ballot to allow off-track wagering “Out-of-state gaming facilities have been People place bets on HHR machines that feed at a satellite facility in Dumfries. funding their schools with Northern Virginians’ into a collective pool that players can win — with A similar process took place in Danville, Vir- money for years and it’s about time we took steps various purses. The machines pull from such a ginia, the second town Colonial Downs selected to keep those dollars here,” Surovell said in a Co- vast pool of past races, it would be difficult or imfor a Rosie’s restaurant, bar and betting parlor. lonial Downs press release. “This facility would possible for players to know the outcome before Wilkins owns Evolution Auto Repair and has be a gamechanger for Dumfries economic devel- placing their bets. lived in Dumfries for most of her life. She is the opment.” Rosie’s patrons can also bet on live racing. Codaughter of former Dumfries Police Chief Horace Surovell said he believes Dumfries voters will lonial Downs plans to run 15 live horse races this Scites. support the referendum. year between Aug. 8 and Sept. 7. After her trip to the Manassas court“If I were a resident of Dumfries and I The Dumfries outlet would likely most closehouse Thursday morning, Wilkins said knew of a way we could generate .. more ly compare in size to the Vinton Rosie’s, which she is glad to help with the effort to tax revenue without me having to pay is about 15,000 square feet and has 150 historical bring Rosie’s and OTB to Dumfries. for it, I’d be all over it,” Surovell said. horseracing machines, a number that is limited by “I’m excited about the opportunity to The Colonial Downs Group chose Vinton’s population, Hubbard said. bring a major facility like this to DumDumfries because “it’s a vibrant and enThe Vinton outlet is expected to generate fries. We’re talking about good jobs ergetic town and was one of the local- $500,000 in tax revenue annually. It brought 160 and more revenue for the town and the ities that expressed an interest in what new jobs to Vinton with an average salary of more schools,” Wilkins said. “We need somewe are offering,” said spokesman Mark than $40,000 a year, Hubbard said. thing like this.” Hubbard. The jobs include food and beverage servers as DUMFRIES Dumfries Mayor Derrick Wood (D) “We want to be located in Dumfries, well as “ambassadors” that help with the gaming MAYOR said he had reached out to Colonial and we’re excited to go out and share technology and several security positions. It’s DERRICK WOOD Downs Group to inquire about their inwith voters what we’re about and what hours are 10 a.m. to 2 a.m. on weekdays and 10 terest in Dumfries for a Northern Virwe do and let them decide if they’d like a.m. to 4 a.m. on weekends, Hubbard said. ginia satellite facility. Wood said he will remain to be home to one of our facilities,” said Aaron No alcohol can be purchased past 2 a.m., he neutral on the referendum and isn’t much of a Gomes, chief operating officer of Colonial Downs noted. gambler, personally. Group, in a press release. Next steps Still, he said he considers it his obligation as New jobs, tax revenue According to Virginia law, a voter referendum mayor to boost commercial development in DumWhat would a Rosie’s pari-mutuel betting paris required in localities that have not already apfries. Wood said he’s had several conversations lor mean for Dumfries? proved pari-mutuel wagering. Wilkins’ filing with commercial entities — including Trader Under state legislation approved by the Virginkicks off an effort to collect the needed signatures Joes, Whole Foods and several restaurant outlets ia General Assembly in 2018, Colonial Downs refor the referendum to be placed on the ballot. — about moving to Dumfries since he took office The petition, once approved, will require signalast July. Wood campaigned on making Dumfries, vived its live horse racing at its New Kent Counthe oldest chartered town in Virginia, a destina- ty track, located outside Richmond, and is in the tures from about 150 Dumfries registered voters, or tion of choice rather than just a place people pass process of opening five pari-mutuel betting satel- 5 percent of the total number of people registered lite facilities. Colonial Downs is so far the only in Dumfries. Dumfries had 2,661 registered voters through along U.S. 1. “In my role as chief ambassador of Dumfries, organization licensed for off-track betting facili- as of January 2019, according to state records. The signatures must be submitted to the local my job is to entertain and explore all options for ties in Virginia. The first Rosie’s Gaming Emporium opened in voter registrar by 81 days before the election, putexpanding our commercial base,” Wood said. “I New Kent County in April. A Vinton, Virginia, ting the deadline for the Nov. 5 ballot at Aug. 16, cannot not explore it.” State Sen. Scott Surovell, D-36th, said he too location was next, and a third is set to open in Hubbard said. The Colonial Downs Group will coordinate a is supportive of the effort. Surovell notes that Richmond in June. A fourth will open in HampDumfries signature drive, according to the press Northern Virginia residents already travel to ton in the fall, Hubbard said. The facilities serve food and alcoholic bever- release. Maryland to spend money at its new casinos. If there’s an appetite for such activity locally, the ages and allow patrons to vote on both live horse Reach Jill Palermo at jpalermo@fauquier.com