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VRE express train could bypass county stops

Prince William County, Va. - A plan to run an express commuter train from Fredericksburg to Washington, operated by Virginia Railway Express, drew criticism at this week's Prince William Board of County Supervisors meeting. At a cost of about a $500,000 already in VRE's 2011 budget, the train could begin operating in July. The express, which would get riders to Washington's Union Station 25 minutes faster than any other VRE train, would be the first train to leave Fredericksburg, at 5:05 a.m.

It would stop twice in Stafford County and then make stops at Alexandria, Crystal City, L'Enfant Plaza and Union Station, skipping the five stations in Quantico, Prince William and Fairfax counties. Passengers who board VRE trains at the Woodbridge station have long faced standing-room-only conditions.

VRE spokesman Mark Roeber said there was "not a lot of clamor from residents of Prince William County for the express train," but there is very high demand from riders who live "in the further extremities," like Stafford and Spotsylvania counties, who aim to get to work earlier.


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Posted on Thursday, March 4, 2010 - 12:09pm

Local Government Program Helps Families Escape Grip of Poverty

Two programs in Bristol and Abingdon are helping families escape poverty, according to the Bristol Herald Courier.

The efforts of Find a Way and People Inc. are helping to change the lives of families who want to move-up.

The work these programs are doing helps everyone in the region because as more families are able to escape the grips of poverty, the stronger and safer communities become. Homeowners can appreciate this type of work that adds great value to their community.

"Find a Way is a program of the Bristol Redevelopment and Housing Authority that assists public housing residents who want to move out and move up. With 35 families now enrolled, the program stresses goal-setting, employment and life-skills training.

People Incorporated, based in Abingdon, Va., provides a similar service: a Transitional Housing Program that requires participants to work or pursue education while living in assisted housing and progressing toward a stable living situation. The program has 22 families and 69 individuals enrolled.

'I absolutely believe that individuals can come from impoverished situations and limited educational skills and be able to come and use our resources' and improve their lives, said Ginger Henderson, transitional housing coordinator for People Inc.

Using financial support and grants from the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development, and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, both programs work with a small number of the 62,000-plus Southwest Virginia residents who receive government assistance, mostly in the form of food stamps.

The two programs serve a region where the number of people living at poverty levels or below ranges from 15.7 percent in Washington County to 20.3 percent in Wise County, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Henderson said the first step to moving those residents from welfare to self-sufficiency is helping them recognize the difference between wants and needs.

There’s a long waiting line for the nonprofit agency’s program, she said, including 104 families and 322 individuals, but all of its clients have found employment within two to three weeks of enrolling.

And last year, People Inc. reports, 75 percent of its clients were able to reduce their debt and meet savings goals.

'What we want to see is the client transition from the program to a stable living environment,' said Bryan Phipps, People Inc.’s vice president for development.

David Baldwin, executive director of the Bristol Redevelopment and Housing Authority, said his agency’s program and others like it, including People Inc., are based on one critical belief.

'There are a lot of folks who have been in difficult circumstances for a lot of their life that just don’t feel like they have the energy and the willpower to improve,' Baldwin said."

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Posted on Wednesday, December 2, 2009 - 11:42am

BVU Lays Groundwork for Community Broadband in Bristol

Newly formed committees are working to identify how broadband Internet technology could improve the quality of business, education and health care in the Bristol area, according to the Bristol Herald.

This effort could have a drastic impact on making the area even more appealing to businesses, help institutions provide more services without raising costs and boost the local economy. It could result in great applications of technology to help improve the quality of life for all Bristol area residents.

"A new committee designed to advance regional broadband use took its initial steps Tuesday.

Established by Bristol Virginia Utilities, the community broadband integration group began laying the groundwork for a review of technology uses and applications in the region.

'This is a good start,” Chairperson Beth Rhinehart said after the hour-long meeting. “We’re gathering information and next time we’ll work to define our mission.'

BVU established the committee earlier this year after being named to the 2009 Intelligent Community Forum’s Smart 7 for its deployment and use of high-speed broadband technology. BVU CEO Wes Rosenbalm said the idea is to identify new ways that broadband Internet technology could improve the quality of commercial, educational, health care and other applications.

'You are already outside the box of what BVU is usually thinking about,' Rosenbalm told the group. 'We’re usually out here trying to sell something. It’s encouraging.'

On Tuesday, the group established three sub-groups to gather information about existing partnerships and technology initiatives and to review the programs of other communities named to the Intelligent Community Forum’s Smart 21 for 2010, which includes Bristol, Va.

The third subgroup is to gather existing needs assessment surveys conducted by area human services agencies and other data pertinent to Bristol and Southwest Virginia.

Lisa Meadows, CEO of the Bristol Chamber of Commerce and a member of the broadband committee, will oversee the needs assessment sub-group."

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Posted on Thursday, November 19, 2009 - 6:32pm

Bristol Residents Along Property Line Don’t Like Cemetery Gravesite Plans

According to the Bristol Herald Courier, residents along the Susong Cemetery are unhappy with plans to add burial plots within a few feet of their backyards.

Many of the residents claim that when they bought their home neighboring the cemetery they were told that the property next to their yards would not be used for burials.

Most of the homeowners signed a petition asking city leaders to impose a 25-foot buffer zone and some type of plant screening.

 

"Some Elmo Street residents are upset about a Susong Cemetery Association plan that would bring gravesites within a few feet of their backyards.

Resident Landon Mann said Tuesday he’s considering legally challenging plans to sell burial plots along a 75-foot-wide strip of cemetery property that abuts his property. The land, between the cemetery’s northern boundary and Walnut Drive, abuts the property of more than a dozen Elmo Street homes.

'We were told, when we bought property here, that [cemetery] land would never be used for burials. It would only be used for parking for funerals,' Mann said, adding he has no paperwork to back up that assertion.

Neighbor Chassie Van Pool, who’s lived in her Elmo Street home for 12 years, said she also understood the land wouldn’t be used for burials.

'I just don’t like it, They [trustees] should have come by. I don’t think that’s enough space between my fence and that [cemetery],' Van Pool said.

Current zoning prescribes a 10-foot buffer zone between the cemetery and adjoining property.

The first burial in the new section is scheduled for today.

On Monday, Mann presented a petition to the city’s Planning Department, asking city leaders to impose a 25-foot buffer zone and some type of plant screening for separation. Residents of 13 of 15 Elmo Street homes signed the petition."

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Posted on Wednesday, September 23, 2009 - 7:35am

Bristol City Council Accepts Recommendation to Rezone Section Of Solar Hill

Image from Southern Foodways AllianceTri-cities.com has been covering the on-going discussions to rezone part of historic Solar Hill to prevent commercial development. The affected area includes Solar Street – from Cumberland to Sycamore streets and from King’s Alley to Oak Street. The area contains 13 private homes, some vacant land and an assisted living center. 

"A section of the Solar Hill historic district apparently will be rezoned to block commercial development, over the objections of some property owners.

At its meeting Tuesday, the City Council unanimously accepted a Planning Commission recommendation to rezone nearly 5 acres of the mixed-use area from B-3 general business to R-2 residential. The vote followed a 35-minute public hearing, in which residents spoke out on both sides of the issue.

To become official, the council must formally approve a rezoning ordinance on two subsequent readings. About half of the district, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is zoned for residential. The balance is zoned for commercial use."

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Also, check out a Letter to the Editor from a resident.

Posted on Tuesday, July 28, 2009 - 5:23pm

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Posted on Monday, June 15, 2009 - 12:00am