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MAY 4, 2018
BOS commits to road-safety at Telegraph Road
Stafford sculptor, psychotherapist featured in student film
TRACY BELL
tbell@insidenova.com
T
he Stafford County Board of Supervisors unanimously expressed its commitment to a Telegraph Road safety improvement project at its meeting Tuesday. Supervisor Jack Cavalier, R-GriffisWidewater, moved for approval of what he agreed has been a long-standing safety issue. As part of the process, the board held a public hearing before the vote. Two people spoke, with concerns based on stormwater management, floodplains and wetlands, as well as access to businesses depending on certain design options. The intersections of U.S. 1, Telegraph Road and Woodstock Lane have been the sites of numerous vehicle accidents, according a board background report. Drivers regularly need to cross these areas to access two schools as well as residential neighborhoods. In 2016, through Smart Scale’s first round of transportation project submissions, the county was awarded $7.5 million of an $8.8 million cost estimate for the safety project. A Virginia Department of Transportation safety study was also done, resulting in an alternative that became the basis for the project. After an original plan for the intersection was discussed, the owner of adjacent property offered to donate the necessary
Film student Chelsea Low, right, interviews Stafford resident Laurie Barton for a documentary on the healing power of art. SUBMITTED
TRACY BELL
A
tbell@insidenova.com
Stafford-based psychotherapist who moonlights as a sculptor is the topic of a recent documentary. Laurie Barton, who operates a private therapy practice out of her home, also has a sculpting studio there. Now, she’s the subject of a Florida State University College of Motion Picture Arts documentary filmed in Stafford. Barton said she was selected by FSU college student Chelsea Low to be in the themed documentary. The film was presented to the FSU Film School and invited guests April 29, according to Teri Twigg, a
spokeswoman for Batron Sculptures. Following that, it will be entered into festival competitions – think Cannes, Sundance – and eventually released to the public after as much as a year’s wait, she added. Low said that Barton’s “deep desire to really bring healing in people’s lives through art, whether that’s working with the mentally ill, depressed or even sexually assaulted” made her an ideal subject for the documentary. “Barton empowers women through her sculptures” and their back stories. Low said that Barton’s sculptures represent real life. “They inspire women to be strong and courageous like her pieces, and
bring hope to the hopeless,” she said. The documentary focuses on art’s healing power and its ability to provide purpose. Low said she wants Barton’s art to be portrayed as a redemption story. She explained that she wants it to be a metaphor for Barton’s life, likening it to misshapen clay having its cracks smoothed over and imperfections made into something beautiful. In the documentary, Barton introduces a new, more personal piece, “Let’s Play,” inspired by the young daughter she lost many years ago. It is an angel reaching for a child’s hand. Barton said she was led to become STUDENT FILM
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