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School board saves thousands on copier service TRACY BELL
T
tbell@insidenova.com
he Stafford County School Board agreed Tuesday to a $588,000 fouryear contract with Ricoh USA of Chicago for copier services beginning in fiscal 2017. The initial proposed contract was for $650,000. A competing Xerox representative attended four school board meetings this spring urging the board to consider using Xerox, which produced the lowest bid. Stafford County Public Schools used Ricoh for the past 10 years and has used Secretary of Transportation Aubrey Layne, without the scissors, orchestrates the ribbon cutting to open the extension of the I-95 Express Lanes on Oct. 30. Drivers heading to Garrisonville Road would Xerox in the past. still exit I -95 HOT lanes on a flyover, at left, but those continuing south would not merge with I-95 for another two miles. ALEKS DOLZENKO | INSIDENOVA School board members did not choose Xerox, but thanked its representative for saving the schools $250,000 over four years based on its lower bid and for providing information that helped the board save money. S cho ol b o ard memb ers and Locally harvested produce gets prime display as crowds browse and shop the stand operated by C&T Produce at the North Superintendent Bruce Benson expressed Stafford Farmers’ Market. This year the total number of vendors has increased to around 30 at the same location, the parking lot of the Stafford Medical Pavilion on the Stafford Hospital campus. The market is open Sundays from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. disappointment in the way the school until November. ALEKS DOLZENKO | INSIDENOVA system handled the matter, but said it would cause them to look more closely at futureisbusiness Virginia investingdealings. more than $800 million over the he two-mile extension of Interstate 95 Ex- resolve all of the congestion challenges on I-95, but it think on we I-95 could’ve beenin clearer in our projects the Fredericksburg press Lanes expected to alleviate the daily will reduce conflict points that are intensifying traf- next five“I years communication with vendors,” saidto traffic Six I-95 projects are our expected to open traffic jam at Garrisonville Road opened fic slowdowns during the peak morning and afternoon region. in theBenson. Fredericksburg area by the end of 2022 to deliver commutes.” ahead of schedule Oct. 31. Inimproved April, thedriving board conditions, deferred a decision Hannon said. Transurban, the current operator of the 95 Express relief and The $50-million project extends the Exon which copier company to usetoand A separate project is under development extend Express Lanes south beyond the flyover ramp where they Lanes, contributed $25 million to the extension. to additional further review its options. Lanes by an 10 miles. “We know we have more work to do on I-95, as recent press decided previously ended, just north of Garrisonville Road in were five bidding companies TheThere I-95 Express Lanes Fredericksburg Extension Stafford County, said Kelly Hannon of the Virginia De- congestion reports have reminded us, but this Express TRACY BELL involved. internal investigations and comof approval. The grant works as a 50 project would build a reversible two-lane section of lanes Lanes extension is the fi rst step in a series of projects to partment of Transportation. tbell@insidenova.com There, school plaints significant, ” Decatur said. percent match with local funding as far south as the vicinityboard of the Route 17 interchange. unlock gridlock alongisI-95 through the Fredericksburg Southbound Express Lanes traffi c heading to Frederhe Stafford County Sheriff ’s member Patricia Healy, SCHOOL “Body-worn cameras are a Aubrey psycho-Layne New access the county. The cost to Stafto Express Lanes is proposed near the Route region, ” said Secretary of Transportation icksburg will be able to continue afrom mile south past GarOffice has applied for a U.S. 13 R-Rock Hill,(Courthouse challenged Road)PAGE logical deterrent to misbehavior on fordcisexiting $400,000 a year five years. 17 and Route 630 interchanges in a ribbon cutting on the one-lane extension. risonville and merge into I-95. Traffi I-95 for forduring Department of Justice grant of the lens. The benefits Stafford County Sheriff Da- both Construction on sides the extension began in July 2016. Stafford, and at the Russell Road interchange at Marine Garrisonville Road would use the current flyover. that could fund 100 of its vid Decatur told InsideNoVa that exceed the drawbacks associated Using the new extension, I-95 northbound traffic is The project’s design-build team is Branch Civil, Inc., and Corps Base Quantico. a body Lanes cam- earlier with the cost and time to manage implementing a body-camera pro-Requardt & Associates. abledeputies to enter with the Express at a new left en- Whitman, era.before Garrisonville Road. gram is a vast undertaking.Construction ” The goal theofprogram. a new noise barrier adjacent to I-95 trance STAFFORD COUNTY SUN If received, funding of the Using the technology in will the dethe program to achieve a high south southbound of Garrisonville Road continue Around full 146,000 vehicles a day of travel I-95 nearisGarSUBSCRIBE SUBSCRIBE grantrisonville would allow partment’s field open operations level of transparency with comaftthe er the extension and ramps to traffidivision c. Road,deputies accordingintothe Hannon. TODAY TODAY office’s Th field operations allow for the most munity while protecting the Therights project would is a joint investment by theimmediVirginia Dee extension willdivision operate to under the same rules and INSIDENOVA.COM/ INSIDENOVA.COM/ carryreversal the cameras. ate and expansive contact the citizens and deputiespartment alike, he of Transportation (VDOT) and with Transurban. SUBSCRIBE schedule as the current 95of Express Lanes. SUBSCRIBE The “Merging sheriff ’s office appliednear for thesaid. served, De- 29-mile Express Transurbancommunity operates the existing STAFFORDNEWS and weaving Garrisonville Road STAFFORDNEWS@ @INSIDENOVA.COM INSIDENOVA.COM the grant after the County said. in December 2014, benefit of having Lanesvideo facility catur that opened and will interchange hasStafford contributed to delays“…The for drivers in the CAMERA (571) 208-8059 (571) 208-8059 PAGE of 13 the St af ford C ounty footage for prosecution, Board of Supervisors gave stamp responsible for maintenance and operations Express Lanes and theitsmain lanes, ” said VDOT Com- betraining, 8 57144 00401 8 missioner Charles Kilpatrick. “This extension will not two-mile extension.
I-95 Express Lanes extension expected to ease bottleneck
Stafford seeks funding T for 100 body cameras