off and running
land use study
one of a kind
King George man finds auto racing success at an early age. Page 5
Forum will discuss plans for economic development around dahlgren base. Page 9
Buddy Fines jr. gave his all, left big shoes to fill. Page 10
T he
Volume 38, Number 39
POSTAL CUSTOMER
King George
Wednesday, September 24, 2014 50 Cents
helping you relate to your community
County developing a new vision for itself KG seeks to diversify economy while maintaining its rural atmosphere, official says Richard Leggitt For the average citizen, observing economic development in King George is like watching a duck glide across the surface of Machodoc Creek. Commercial construction of retail businesses along Routes 3 and 301 is easily visible, but — like the duck’s busy paddling — there is a lot of other very important economic development activity going on beneath the surface. On Route 3, there is a new Sheetz being built. Along Route 301, six retailers — Peebles, Petco, Dollar Tree, Famous Footwear, Hibbett Sports and Goodwill Industries — are preparing to open for business early next year near the Walmart in Dahlgren, something that has excited local residents. Working in Dahlgren has been such a convenience for me, personally,” said Laurie Strickland of Colonial Beach. “Now shopping in the same area has increased those conveniences two-fold.” The new businesses in Dahlgren will make it easier for me and my family, allowing us to stay closer to home to shop. I
can’t wait until they are open,” Strickland said. Latana Locke, a managing broker with Coldwell Banker Elite, agrees. “We are excited about it. It shows the steady growth in the economy of King George.” These are positive signs of growth in the county in a slowly recovering economy, but there also is a great deal of other important work being done to bring other jobs, businesses and organizations to King George County as part of an effort to maintain the quality of life many residents demand. The county is working to bring a number of major corporate operations to King George, including HGAC, a Delaware rebar manufacturer, that is negotiating to buy 32 acres next to the King George Industrial Park. While King George officials are reluctant to discuss the project, information available from the state indicates the company is obtaining a $450,000 grant from the Commonwealth Transportation Board to facilitate rail improvements for the project. County officials don’t like to discuss the number of jobs being created by the incoming businesses. “I cannot speak on projections of jobs due to confidentiality agreements,” said Linwood Thomas, King George’s economic development director. However, the county and its citizens clearly are looking at tens of millions of dollars in capital investment and hundreds of new job possibilities. “With potential defense cuts looming, we have to make
sure we continue to diversify our economy,” Thomas said. “We are building a pipeline of projects, and project activity is up significantly.” Thomas, a high-energy advocate for the county who hit the ground running when he was appointed to his post late last year, believes King George has a lot to offer and can attract top-quality businesses. “We have to tell the positive story,” he said. “Today, we are competing for the best companies against the other localities in our region, in Virginia, the U.S. and globally,” Thomas said. “But we have a lot to offer, including a very attractive cost to do business, a location within 60 miles of two major metropolitan areas and two shipping corridors within 10 miles of each other.” Thomas said King George’s strategic positioning is yielding development inquiries from across the nation. “We are in discussions now with several major corporations,” he said. “But these are the kind of development projects that are by nature, below the surface. Closed sessions, project code names and very little in the way of feedback to the public can be confusing and misleading, though there is a reason for this veiled process.” According to Thomas, King George is not seeking just any new development in the manner that has led some neighboring counties to become clogged with traffic. “We want healthy, sustainable growth, and we want to make sure our quality of life is maintained,” he said.
Richard Leggitt
Linwood Thomas, King George’s economic development director, is spearheading an effort to attract new businesses to the county that will bring jobs and growth while maintaining the county’s quality of life. Part of the effort to attract just the right kind of companies has been manifested in the plans by the King George Board of Supervisors to improve the infrastructure at the county’s industrial park near Route 3. “We will have one of the top two or three industrial parks in Virginia,” Thomas said.
Outdoor fun in the sun at Caledon Phyllis Cook
About 40 kids and their families tested their outdoor skills in various activities at Caledon State Park during the annual Youth Outdoors Day Sept. 20. Participants came from within King George and beyond, including Fredericksburg, Stafford, Culpeper and LaPlata, Md. C e c i l i a “Every year, we Morris, of make it a family King George, and her son event.” both enjoyed Cecilia Morris, of King rifle shooting George, who attended a t l o l l i p o p with her son, Xavier, 8. targets set up by longtime f i r e a r m instructor Jim Morgan and his volunteers from the county 4-H extension program and King George High School’s Naval Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps. Morris said they never miss an outdoors day. “Every year, we make it a family event,” she said of herself and her son, Xavier, 8. George and Jacky Parrales, of Culpeper, read about Caledon and the other state park in nearby Westmoreland and wanted to see for themselves the pristine beauty and the cliffs overlooking the Potomac River. Some of the Parrales family also tried their skills at archery. Jacky Parrales was happy after her turn, laughingly saying her first time-performance was “like a pro.” Her two girls were eager to take another try to see if they could actually hit a flying foam target. Many attendees took a rest from the activities and enjoyed wagon rides along shady and scenic hiking trails through forest and marshland as they viewed deer and eagles along the way. The rides were enhanced by a historical perspective from volunteer and local resident Bob Sparbel. Some attendees cooled down with a run through a firehose spray, courtesy of King George Fire and Rescue volunteers, who also brought a fire engine and its equipment. Other things to see and do included a hands-on animal artifact display and demonstrations from the Patawomeck tribe of Virginia. The event was sponsored by the Northern Neck Chapter of the Virginia Deer Hunters Association, King George Parks and Recreation and Virginia State Parks. Park rangers Nina Cox and Sammy Zambon said various family activities are offered most weekends throughout the year. Go http://www.dcr.virginia.gov/ state-parks to find information about what’s happening at Caledon State Park.
Sealston cell tower approved Move should improve phone service, boost streaming capability Phyllis Cook
Bob Sparbel, above, loads his wagon for a ride that provided a view of the scenic trails that go through Caledon State Park. The King George Fire and Rescue squad, left, was on hand for some cool fun for the kids. Phyllis Cook
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A 195-foot cell tower approved last week for the Sealston area in western King George is expected to increase reliable phone service and provide better data transmission and streaming capability on smartphones and other devices. A special exception permit requested by Clear Signal Towers, LLC/Verizon Wireless was approved for an 8.6-acre parcel at 1132 Kings Highway, on the south side of Route 3, just east of the intersection with Fletchers Chapel Road. The telecommunication facility will occupy a leased 10,000-square-foot area with a security fence. The structure is designed to support a minimum of four panel antenna carries at various locations. The permit requires space to be reserved for the county’s use. The unanimous vote Sept.16 by the King George Board of Supervisors followed a public hearing. Nearby landowner Jeane Bullock lives across Route 3 from the site and said it would be in her front yard. She also said some 10 years ago there was a request in the area, and she understood it was denied because of safety concerns for those at Sealston Elementary School, asking why it is OK now. Chairman Joe Grzeika said he had no memory of any safety issue related to a request. Jack Green, director of the county’s office of community development, said a 350-foot tower was approved in that timeframe but never was built. “There was nothing brought up at that time in regard to safety,” he said. Supervisor Ruby Brabo wanted the representative from Clear Signal to address concerns about potential health issues, but county attorney Eric Gregory stopped that request in its tracks. “Radio frequency emissions cannot be discussed and cannot be a factor in the board’s decision as a matter of federal law,” Gregory said.