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VOLUME 28 | NUMBER 10
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MAY 20T, 2016 WWW.INSIDENOVA.COM
NORT HE R N V I R G I N I A M E DI A S E R V I C ES
We’re in it for the money
Stafford approves prep-work funding for animal shelter TRACY BELL
tbell@insidenova.com
Our trek north lasts an hour each way TRACY BELL
A
tbell@insidenova.com
University of Mary Washington study focused on commuters found that about 37 percent of working Fredericksburg-area residents travel out of the immediate area for their jobs. The Fredericksburg Region Commuter Workforce Skills Study was presented to the Fredericksburg Regional Alliance and the Fredericksburg Regional Chamber of Commerce on May 11. Those groups requested that UMW conduct a study about the commuter workforce in order to develop a more accurate picture of local commuters and their characteristics. The 27-page study estimated that approximately 61,639 Fredericksburgarea commuters travel to jobs outside the region, most commuting to Prince William or Fairfax counties or to Washington, D.C. The study concluded that more than half of the commuters spend an hour or more commuting in each direction. It discovered that commuters are more likely to have higher levels of education than non-commuters and that commuters are more likely to have
25-year-old county animal shelter described as “disgusting,” “a mess,” “deplorable” and “not in the greatest condition” is a step closer to being replaced by a new, improved facility with more space and better conditions for the animals. The Stafford County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved funding for an $885,000 contract with Rising Sun Inc., to pay for clearing, grading and stormwater management improvements. The work will prepare the area for construction of the new animal shelter. Supervisor Paul Milde, R-Aquia, was happy with the vote, noting that animalshelter improvement plans have been moved in the Capital Improvement Plan at least three times over the years to make room mainly for school projects. “Anyone that’s been watching me for 10 years knows that I have been complaining about not having an adequate animal shelter in Stafford County since the first day I got on the board,” Milde said. “…I can’t believe it’s really happening that we’re really going to start construction on an animal shelter that’s not — disgusting.” A $5.7-million new animal shelter is in the fiscal 2017-2022 CIP, in part because the county was being fined for not acting to improve conditions at the shelter. Supervisor Meg Bohmke, R-Falmouth, said she initially didn’t realize how bad the conditions were. “Our animal shelter is in such deplorable conditions that we were getting fined by the state,” she said. The county could be fined up to $1,000 a day for operating an animal shelter not up to state standards, according to board background documents. She and Keith Dayton, SHELTER deputy county administraPAGE 6 tor, said that the funding for
Here’s a glance at our destinations: and Prince William - 17 ,216 c ssas Park a n a omm s, M a s 6 0 7 , s c 4 o ute 1 m m a uters hurch rs C s l l M an a F , x a f r i u t e m rs m Fa 10,532 co .C. D , u m om ters on - 1,954 c ng t a i i r d h s an 3,317 commuters Wa Alex land y r a M 38 commuters y - 1,0 t i C ond Note: Destinations with ommuters hm ,031 c 1 Ric fewer than 1,000 commuters o c ri n were not reported. e H Source: Fredericksburg Region Commuter Workforce Skills Study
military experience (28 percent) than non-commuters (12 percent). The percentage of non-commuters who have military experience, either active duty or through the National Guard, is comparable to the overall workforce in Virginia, the study said. Among the commuters, about 37 percent have a bachelor’s degree or higher while statewide, about 32 percent of the population have at least a bachelor’s degree. The study also found that commuters have higher average incomes than non-commuters at every level of education. When average income was measured, the most plentiful category
was commuters who make $50,000 to $99,999 per year (23,308) followed by those who make between $25,000 and $49,999 (14,361). The study used data collected by the United States Census Bureau through the American Community Survey. The ACS surveys 1 percent of the population each year analyzing the commuter workforce. Questions asked focus on residence, place of work, commuting time, level of schooling, wages and salary, occupation and industry. The Fredericksburg Region Commuter Workforce Skills Study also showed that more MONEY than 53,300 of the total PAGE 6 Fredericksburg-area
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