Pete Candland has organized a committee to help make improvements to Silver Lake. There will be general clean up, planting of flowers, fixing of benches, etc.
Lunch will be provided to volunteers.
I commend the citizens for taking their own time to help organize this clean up and general maintenance service day. It is unfortunate that so little county tax payer dollars have been invested in this “jewel”. I look forward to the day that citizens will not be responsible for the care and upkeep of their parks.
He calls it a jewel but wants to cut funding for to park so the tax bill can stay flat. He just doesn’t get it. I wish the county would have given it to BRMC or the Virginia Park Authority. Then at least it would have been paved and usable.
It might have a prayer of having trash cans also. It really has the potential to be a wonderful plant but it needs the support of Mother Prince William.
I do appreciate those who are giving of their own time and energy to update the Lake but it really should be done by the County. They(pwc) had to hog it and they haven’t done jack. Dominion Power did the original work.
Agree there should be more intentionality by PWC; but citizen volunteer work in the parks is never a bad thing. One of the things I am suggesting over here in CoM is for Neighborhood Services to also look at our various parks for their “Big Day of Service” events instead of just various housing locations. Our parks are getting a bit neglected since they were the low hanging fruit during budget decisions…defer maintenance. Almost would like to see a Parks & Rec Volunteer Corps …. and an idea PWC ought to consider.
Ray, the problem with Silver Lake is, Bull Run Conservancy said they would take it, provide upkeep and maintainence, and have it fully accessible for Prince William residents. PWC took 2-3 years to decide the disposition of the site and then refused to let BRC have it. They hogged it, made plans, promises etc and then never lived up to the promises or the comprehensive plan for the park.
Citizen input is great if and only if the park has been taken care of in the first place.
Are you aware that there are NO trash cans in the entire park? How frigging trifling is that?
PWC took that park and never lived up to its promises to the residents.
Only Ms. “Do The Right Thing” (aka “Watching” on this blog) could take an absolutely fabulous public-private partnership and try to turn it into something terrible. Yesterday was an utterly gorgeous day, and I’m not speaking only about the weather. It was an incredible experience to participate with hundreds of citizens joined together for the common good. Parents enjoyed wonderful family time with their children, ranging in age from pre-schoolers to seniors in high school, all of whom worked cheerfully for hours on end. People in all age groups and from all walks of life pitched in, worked hard, and in less than one day produced amazing results. The kind of unity we experienced at Silver Lake Park yesterday is so rare that I would dare say I have never in my lifetime experienced something so extraordinary and so productive.
The animous of “Watching” (aka “Do the Right Thing”) for the illustrious authors of this blog is second only to that which she now has for her former boss. She gives herself away with her ridiculous “he doesn’t get it” statements every time she writes a comment. Is there any wonder the good Supervisor had to send her packing? May I suggest with all due respect that Moonhowlings would be doing her blog readers a favor if she were inclined to do the same? At some point the sour grapes really do get old.
@nova1983
I think that nova has confused Watching with someone else.
Actually I agree with what Watching has said and so does Elena.
I am not sure public/private relationshio is. We have always been disappointed that the county kept Silver Lake rather than allowing Bull Run Conservancy to take it over for the use of the residents.
The problem is not that Pete Candland organized a clean up day. We feel that is great. We salute him for his efforts and the volunteers who gave their time and energy. The problem is the county did not do what it said it would do. It allowed the lake to run down and it never kept its promises. The plan for the lake was never implemented.
The work that was done was done by volunteers from Dominion Power, not the county. The county didnt even provide trash cans. It cost more than they were willing to spend to have the cans emptied.
We all know that to bring the park up to the plan standard, some serious money needs to be sent its way rather than given away to a non-profit.
Silver Lake needed some serious work and money. Meanwhile, it got a helping hand from volunteers. Thanks to everyone for their efforts.
As to Ms. Do the Right Thing, she is among us for sure and shows up periodically under a different identity. You are right as to her regard for us. (making the sign of throat slitting.)
Yes, Moonhowlings, I can pretty much guarantee that “Watching” = “Do The Right Thing” in her October 12 comment. She is grousing about a possible “flat tax rate” because she has cozied up to Melissa Peacor on the premise that Peacor is going to let her select the next Chief of Police. Imagine that debacle! In addition to her regard for you–perfectly described, btw–and in addition to her regard for her former boss, consider her regard for anyone with a different cultural background, skin color, or gender, and then consider what we’re going to end up with for a Chief of Police. It makes my skin crawl just to think about it!
@nova1983 Why is it when anyone says one small negative about Candland all the women around him go berserk? Too much female emotionalism. I am NOT his former staffer but I am someone who would rather have money spent on our park system, more specifically Silver Lake, than have a flat tax bill. Silver Lake NEEDS investment. When the BOCS decided to keep it in-house they committed to investing in it. It has not happened and I don’t believe it will happen under Pete, at least not County money. Do you disagree? In his new blog all he did was talk about cutting and sacrifice. Not spending money on Silver Lake. I hope I am wrong, I have been before.
Maybe at least he can get someone big corporate dollars to donate money (hint for all those with ties to him to work on), that is hardcore dollars to buy trashcans, paving, landscaping etc. A service day is not a public-private partnership.
A service day that includes hundreds of volunteers from the community along with significant numbers of county employees, imho, constitutes an extremely healthy public-private partnership. The county came through big time yesterday, and given that yesterday’s accomplishments could not have happened without the focus, expertise, and hard work of many employees from the Department of Parks and Rec and Fire Departments, those employees deserve the same thanks that the volunteers are getting. Add to that financial assistance from the private sector, and the result is a public-private partnership that serves everyone without the need for government to dig deeper into our pockets than they already are.
NOVA,
No one is denying the hard work that citizens put into this service day. I have not seen any comments that state otherwise. Unfornately you are missing the critical point. Having kind hearted citizen volunteers IS fabulous, it IS what makes a vibrant community. But citizens should not and are not capable of putting in the the sorely needed capital investment that Silver Lake requires in order to implement the Master Plan that was passed years ago. Having been involved with the evolution of Silver Lake while Toll Brother still owned the property. I spent more hours involved in Silver Lake than most people I know.
The BOCS, excluding Maureen, Mike, and Marty, insisted that Silver Lake could NOT be a part of a REAL public private partnership. The BOCS, in fear that Silver Lake would not fully be available to the public, if BRMC was given control, passed Silver Lake onto the Park Authority that now, no longer exists!
As far as a private public partnership, there is apparently some confusion. The private would be the “entity” that exists to partner with the “public” which is government. If citizens were to organize a formal non profit, then they would qualify as a private entity. Which, by the way, for Silver Lake, sounds like it is necessary in order to accept corporate donations.
PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS DEFINED
A Public-Private Partnership (PPP) is a contractual agreement between a public agency (federal, state or local) and a private sector entity. Through this agreement, the skills and assets of each sector (public and private) are shared in delivering a service or facility for the use of the general public. In addition to the sharing of resources, each party shares in the risks and rewards potential in the delivery of the service and/or facility.
Yes, Elena, a non-profit accepted corporate donations on behalf of the Silver Lake project, clearly meeting the definition of a public-private partnership as described by you. I, for one, believe this is an arrangement far superior to that which insists that government is the only entity capable of managing a beautiful place like Silver Lake. Having lived and worked around and in government for most of my adult life, I know first hand government’s innate inefficiencies. What I personally participated in on Saturday was anything but inefficient; in fact, it was precisely the opposite–and an utterly wonderful experience, to boot.
Well, now I am confused. Who is the non-profit that accepted corporate benefits for Silver Lake? I am not aware of any non profits working on behalf of Silver Lake. We need to recognize that organization. Is it something like Friends of Silver Lake?
I would have had no problem with Bull run Conservancy taking ownership of Silver Lake for the people of PWC. I think they would have done an excellent job of stewardship, far better than PWC since PWC has done nothing.
The problem that exists now is that PWC owns the lake and makes the rules for the lake. They haven’t done what they said they were going to do. NOVA, I am not sure we really at a different place on this. I think our terminology might be different.
Here is my bottom line. PWC owns the Lake and can do whatever it wants, including NOTHING with it. Any adjunct non profits who come along really have no power and no control. A citizens group is a citizens group. While I think it is neat that citizens donate their time and energy, I was under the impression that the groups working last weekend were volunteer with no formal arrangements.
I would be curious to know of formal arrangements. Meanwhile, it is ultimately the responsibility of PWC to do what they said they were going to do with Silver Lake. There is actual documentation on hand outlining the responsibilities. I am not ready to let PWC off the hook for not doing its job. That is what we have been howling about for 3 years.
Bull Run Mountain Conservancy http://www.brmconservancy.org/
NOVA,
Hmmmm, a non profit used to accept the donation due to legal restrictions does not in and of itself form a private public partnership at Silver Lake. Who was the non profit?
The people who took the time to organize the effort were citizens from all walks of life. It was the Silver Lake Committee that Pete Candland formed. It was a government sponsored effort.
Let me reitterate, again, no one has denegrated the hard work that citizens put forth in cleainging up Silver Lake, it sorely needed it. We were out there just the other day and the bathrooms were overflowing with trash, it disgusted my son. My father in law was out there on Saturday helping. I helped for several hours during the original “clean up” three years ago.
Here is the problem, it isn’t for lack of citizen interest or hard work that Silver Lake sits virtually the same as the day it was handed over to the Park Authority, it sits unchanged because of little to no capitol improvements from tax payer funds. The BOCS hands over 200 grand to a small non profit that benefits around 100 people instead of a park that promised to be a “jewel” that benefits 400,000 residents in PWC.
We both clearly want the same thing, not sure why you are being so combative, it actually makes little sense.
Once again, accepting the corporate donations out of legal necessity does not equate to a public private partnership.
Silver Lake needs a formal non profit, geez, who could have been that non profit, hmmm, someone like Bull Run Mountain Conservancy. They must be laughing their butts off at our struggle to bring Silver Lake up to standard. We, as in the county, crapped on their offer to take over the Lake and invest half a million dollars AND double the land because why again? We didn’t want to hand over public land to a private entity in fear of shutting out access to citizens. YET, yet, we hand over 45 acres to Rainbow Riding, excluding public access, give them almost 300 grand to date of taxpayer money, and THAT scernario is acceptable.
I went out Sunday evening with a friend. You cold see that there had been a lot of hard work. Just the fact that a ton of gravel had been spread in the giant pot hole going up to the horse trailer park looked like work for an army!
The capital improvements do need to be made and the county needs to honor its promises. The private citizens who volunteer their time shouldn’t have to pay for things too, especially when the county gives away hundreds of thousands of dollars to Rainbow Riding and can’t even put in trash cans and service at the lake.
NOVA,
Should citizens be responsible for implementing the Master Plan that was passed three years ago?
I might suggest you take a ride over to Nothern Fauquier Park in Marshall. That was a true private public partnership between Fauquier County and Bull Run Mountain Conservancy who invested millions in that park.
Will you leave some directions to that park please? I keep meaning to check it out. I have heard good things.
Where are Marty and Mike May? They went to bat for Silver Lake, lost, and no one has heard from them since on the subject.
why aren’t they clamoring for promises to be kept? Hell, just do the things that are in writing. It sounds to me like fair-weather friends.
I didn’t see either of them voice a concern over Rainbow Riding getting nearly $200k from the county. Rainbow was sitting on a pile of their own money.
Again, Silver Lake doesnt have trash service. Rainbow gets nearly $200k. Marty? Mike? No comment? Crickets? i saw a lot of cheering on of Rainbow from one of those families. $200k would have done a lot for the Jewel of Prince William.
I am about to the point where I no longer care. People who no longer care make for bad political enemies, especially when they buy ink by the barrel.
Moon, you just head down route 55 from the Haymarket exit off 66 and the Park is about 8 miles from the intersection of 55/15 on the right hand side, you can’t miss it, its beautiful while maintaining its natural surrounding. You drive by that park and you know this is a county that cares and shows its willing to invest.