This is an excellent thread by Charlie Grymes over on the PWCA blog. What is happening at Hellwig Park is a travesty and every tax payer should be outraged in this county.

What a scam. Listen to this. We, as in me and you and every other taxpayer, is expected to not only PAY a private Developer for their land but we will also BUILD the road the Developer needs in order gain access to his lots!

The BOCS will need to hear from citizens that we will NOT use our precious tax dollars to fund a Developers road!  On September 14th the BOCS will vote to deny or approve the Park Athority’s appeal of Planning Commission denial of this wasteful road.  I hope citizens will be willing to take the time to e-mail the Board and tell to “just say no”.

 

From Your Piece of the Planet

The county Park Authority must have discovered a sofa in the office that was filled with change behind the cushions. They want to spend money on an unplanned road, one that is not needed. There’s a rumor running rampant that some people are experiencing a recession and some government agencies are struggling for money… but the Park Authority thinks it is rich.

For over four years, the Park Authority has been planning new ballfields at Hellwig Park. Prince William adopted an ambitious 20-year Transportation Plan six months ago that will require $3-$4 billion in new funding to build 700 more miles of road over the next 20 years. Until very recently, the Park Authority was clear on what it needed – and no plans included bisecting the park with a new Hellwig Highway to Aden Road.

Now, the Park Authority has discovered they just gotta build a new road. On June 2, the Planning Commission approved the long-planned new entrance for the park on Bristow Road, but rejected the unplanned connection to Aden Road. On September 14 the Board of Supervisors will consider the Park Authority’s appeal of the Planning Commission’s decision.

Why would the Park Authority be so anxious to add a new project to an already underfunded list of new roads, and redirect scarce park bond money to a road project? Hint: This new road would provide access to unbuilt lots in the Liberty Oaks subdivision, saving the developer the cost of building their own road. Bonds sold to develop public parks will instead be used to subsidize a private developer.

Even more interesting, the Park Authority has committed to pay the developer who needs access to the unbuilt residential lots $315,000 for the land where the road will be built. That is significantly more than the asking price for other lots in that development. Whoever sat in that Park Authority sofa, spilling change out of their pocket, must have been loaded.

The Park Authority has struggled to find excuses for this project. The plan for new ballfields at Hellwig Park never included any connection between Hellwig Park and Aden Road. Instead, the agency designed an upgrade to the entrance at Bristow Road, so traffic can move smoothly in and out of Hellwig Park after events.

To make matters worse, the new road would go through a conservation area intended to protect one wetland. The road will be just 30 feet from the edge of another wetland. The Park Authority says they are responsible stewards and can protect these wetlands from the impacts but history tells a different story. The Park Authority is incompetent at protecting natural areas within its own parks, and a polluter that damages areas outside park boundaries.

9 Thoughts to “What a Scam!”

  1. If they have that much money, why don’t they just give the Grizzlies a field or 2 so they don’t have to go begging from Avendale?

  2. Elena

    Great point! I am tired of subsidizing in one way or another, developer needs.

  3. Pat.Herve

    has any one pointed out why the PW Taxpayers should foot the bill for the access? If I buy land, it is up to me to provide my own access road.

  4. Need to Know

    The Park Authority is one of the most corrupt organizations in the County.

    Despite the public outcry last year, they created again this year a slush fund to divvy out arts grants to a select, politically-favored few. Stewart bemoaned this last year when the public objected but gave it his blessing this year saying there is no problem. That’s about $200k.

    Moreover, nearly three quarters of a million dollars has been funneled to Stewart’s pals pushing the Wartime Museum very discretely through the Park Authority budget. The Planning Office only admitted this begrudgingly with as little attention as possible in an update to the staff report on the museum when asked directly.

    Now we get the Park Authority building roads for the benefit of private developers.

    Are we liiving in a banana republic or what!!!!

  5. Need to Know

    Try this on:

    The Wartime Museum paid Craig Stewart, its CEO, $221,504 in compensation in their fiscal year ending June 30, 2008 and $241,846 in their fiscal year ending June 30, 2009. That’s according to Forms 990 they filed. Form 990 is the tax return filed by non-profits. Assuming similar compensation for the year ending in 2010, that pretty much eats up all the money the Wartime Museum has received from PWC taxpayers.

    Google various employment web sites and you’ll that the average compensation for museum directors in the Washington, DC area is less than $100,000.

    Stewart’s previous job was as an assistant director or something at a private school – no experience in running museums. However, he is well-connected in the same circles where Corey Stewart runs.

  6. Why is the county paying the Wartime Museum a dime?

    What has Stewart done to earn that much money?

    What is the connection and is there any connection in the name Stewart? Please explain why the PWC tax payers are shelling out for the wartime museum.

  7. Need to Know

    Why are PWC taxpayers giving the Wartime Museum many, many dimes?

    The “donation” of land by the Hyltons is a farce. It’s mostly unusable, scrap land left over between other projects they’ve already done in Dale City. In exchange for their “generosity” the Hyltons get new development rights for hundreds of residential units elsewhere in Dale City and extending even into the Coles District (thanks Marty). Current PWC taxpayers will foot the bill for a great deal of the costs for schools, roads, etc. needed to serve the residents of these units.

    Have a look at the linked Virginia Public Access Project page:

    http://www.vpap.org/donors/profile/index/190611?end_year=2010&filter_cmte=all&filter_cmte_radio=all&lookup_type=year&order=amount&page=1&start_year=2009

    VPAP has no records of Malcolm W. Cook making any campaign contributions to anyone other than $10,000 on June 1, 2009 and another $10,000 on June 1, 2010, both to Corey Stewart. Cook identifies himself to VPAP as a self-employed accountant. A self-employed accountant suddenly becomes enamored with Corey Stewart and makes his first ever contributions? For $20,000 and spaced exactly one year apart?

    Not exactly. Cook is Treasurer and a Board member of the Hylton Foundation. This is how the Hyltons are paying off Stewart for his help getting the Wartime Museum through, and obtaining the new development rights.

    Let’s look at another Stewart donor. Allan D. Cors has been the driving force behind the Wartime Museum since the idea for the project was started. He owns the tank farm and the tank business in Nokesville. Have a look at his web site:

    http://www.tankstogo.com/

    Chaffee Associates is Cors’ business.

    The two biggest boosters of the Wartime Museum on the BOCS are Corey Stewart and John Jenkins. Look again at VPAP:

    http://www.vpap.org/donors/profile/index/22551?start_year=2010&end_year=2010&lookup_type=year&filing_period=all&filter_cmte=all&filter_cmte_radio=all&order=amount&page=1

    Jenkins is losing his touch. Stewart gets $2,500 and he settles for just $250. Time to retire, John?

    PWC taxpayers are ponying up a lot of money (three-quarters of a million dollars so far) to buy a big park for a guy to enjoy his hobby.

    All of this chicanery is aided and abetted by a corrupt Planning Office and Office of Executive Management. Read the staff report (http://www.pwcgov.org/planning/documents/PLN2010-00379.pdf). This is nothing more than a promotional brochure for the Wartime Museum. Stewart placed his order, and Griffin (Planning Director) and Peacor (County Executive) delivered. Peacor would not have her job if Stewart hadn’t forced her on the other Supervisors, and Griffin has his job only with Peacor’s acquiescence. One hand washes the other, all that sort of thing.

    More to come.

  8. I am still not sure why I, a taxpayer, am paying for the war museum. Has PWC obligated itself to pay any money that I am unaware of?

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