Thursday June 15, 2023

Editor's Note | City Council Meeting | Upcoming Events | Spread the word about F2S

Jun 15, 2023

Editor’s Note: We had plans to publish a feature-length story this morning about the tensions between St. Mary’s Catholic Church and the College Heights neighborhood over consolidating several Special Use Permits governing church properties into one SUP. The planning board met Wednesday night and voted 5-0 to recommend the new SUP, but with the addition of staff recommendations. It now goes to City Council. Because of this vote, we are updating the story and therefore made the decision to hold it for Friday. We apologize for the delay and look forward to delivering this piece Friday morning.

City Council Meeting focused on Safety

by Savannah Dunn

Pedestrian and cyclist safety was the subject of much concern during the June 13, 2023, Fredericksburg City Council meeting.

During the public comment section, one Fredericksburg resident expressed her concerns about the recklessness driving in the city and the potential risk to pedestrians and cyclists. She recommended that crosswalk lights be installed in the area near Dixon Park, as well as in places with lower speed limits.

Vice-Mayor Frye spoke directly to this issue during the Council Agenda portion of the meeting, promising to personally visit the sites this resident mentioned in her talk.

Frye also reported on an issue with the intersection at Dixon Street discussed in the last council meeting. He reported meeting with VDOT at the site of interest to see what can be done. He is reportedly working closely with Spotsylvania County to get a crosswalk installed. “I feel strongly that we can make progress on that,” Frye said.

Councilor Graham added that on June 26, Fredericksburg will be one of the first eight districts in the country to approve the Safe Streets for All grant, which should help bring in money for resolving these issues.

City Manager Tim Baroody added that between January and May 023, there were 859 speeding citations in the City of Fredericksburg. Both Councilor Jon Gerlach and Councilor Kerry Devine extended their support for making the streets of Fredericksburg safer.

In other news, Elden James and Laura Bateman presented reports on the General Assembly. The two succinctly summed up what’s happening with the state budget there way: “There’s still no action on the budget.”

James does not think one will be approved until after the primaries are past, which will be at the end of the fiscal year.

Bateman said that there will be money in the state budget for school construction, but no money for the waste water treatment plan.

There will be two bills affecting housing. The first requires a long-range affordable housing plan to be updated every five years, and all localities over 3,500 are required to report annually on any changes to housing policy. The other bill will require localities to report annually the fees received with any residential development.

During the Council Agenda portion, Councilor Devine mentioned that on Saturday, June 24, in honor of Pride month, there will be numerous celebrations around the city in honor of the city’s third year recognizing the LGBTQ+ residents and business owners of Fredericksburg.

A resolution to create a rental complex working group and to appoint members from the council as well as the community to serve on this working group was introduced. The resolution passed on first read, and Councilors Gerlach and Matt Kelly were appointed to serve.

Finally, City Manager Tim Baroody pointed out that on June 21 at 2:00PM, a new highway marker will be unveiled at the Presbyterian Church in the Fellowship Hall, honoring John Washington, a former slave from Fredericksburg.

Washington Heritage Museums - Upcoming Events

Twilight History

July 31-August 3, 6-8pm

$115.00 per registrant, $95 for WHM members

Explore some of the area's most precious historic sites; the Hugh Mercer Apothecary Shop, the Rising Sun Tavern, the Mary Washington House...and now for the FIRST time, the Mary Washington Monument. This a perfect chance for parents to enjoy downtown Fredericksburg while we educate children ages 8 to 12 with hands-on 18th-century skills, trades, and recipes.

Did you know...WHM members get $20 off each registrant! Consider enrolling your camper as a Scholar level member ($25) entitling your camper and one additional household member to the benefits of membership, including discounts and early access to events for one full year. Join today - it's like receiving a Scholar membership for only $5 and allows your student to enjoy history all year long! Current members, check your email or call 540-373-5630 for the discount code.

Participants must be aged 8 to 12 years.

Questions: 540-373-5630 or youthprograms@WashingtonHeritageMuseums.org

To register: https://washingtonheritagemuseums.networkforgood.com/events/55346-twilight-history-2023

The Mary Washington House During The Civil War

Sunday, June 25^,2023, 6-6:45pm, 6:45-7:30pm

Mary Washington House

$12, $10 for members

During the Civil War, soldiers from both sides visited the Mary Washington House as visitors and to convalesce from injuries sustained in battle. They were all aware of the site's history and used their visit to bolster their patriotism for their side. During the Battle of Fredericksburg in December 1862, the Mary Washington House was not spared from the ravages of war and sustained minor damage. Learn about the residents of the site, free and enslaved, and how the Civil War left its mark on the home of Mary Washington. Tickets are nonrefundable.

Questions: 540-373-1569

To register: https://washingtonheritagemuseums.networkforgood.com/events/57334-the-mary-washington-house-during-the-civil-war

Juneteenth in Spotsylvania

Over the past decade, Juneteenth has grown in the public imagination. What was an unknown event even to many Black people 10 years ago, is now growing into a celebration that is rightfully taking its place along July 4 in the pantheon of American celebrations of freedom.

Learn more about Juneteenth and its history from this National Geographic story.

This year, one of the region’s largest celebrations will be held at the John J. Wright Educational and Cultural Center Museum in Spotsylvania County. Scan the QR code in the image above, or visit the website, to learn more and to join in the activities.

A Special Word to Our Readers

Since leaving the Free Lance-Star in January, a great deal has happened not only in my life, but in our region’s media consumption. F2S has made remarkable jumps in readership in a very short time. We’ve begun adding staff. We’ve launched a podcast with our partner Shaun Kenney. And we are playing a major role in our local civic square through debates and promoting events such as Juneteenth.

These changes have created some unique opportunities, and we’ll have much more to say about this in coming months.

As we ramp up our work, help us spread the word about F2S by inviting a friend to join.

Our material is free to any readers who want to access it, so no one has to pay to read what we provide. We are enormously grateful to everyone who does support us, however. (And we have some plans to thank those people this summer - so watch your emails!)

Pass along this link (https://thelocalburg.substack.com/p/welcome-to-f2s), or the following QR code, and ask folks to sign up.