Will Occoquan Riverfront Park finally become a reality? Things are looking good!

According to InsideNova: “Six years after being approved as part of Prince William County’s 2006 bond referendum, a small riverside park appears likely to be built in the near future.”

The Prince William County FY 2012-2017 Capital Improvement Plan calls for a radical revitalization. According to the document:

Occoquan Riverfront Park will be developed on a portion of two parcels of land owned by Fairfax County Water Authority and located at 415 Mill Street and 460 Mill Street in the Town of Occoquan. The site was previously utilized as a water treatment plant and has been decommissioned by Fairfax Water. Fairfax Water will assist in development of the site by selective demolition of existing facilities. The area will be developed into a small community park with a playground, a spray ground, a small amphitheater, and possibly some indoor space appropriate for community based programming.

Where is the money coming from? Debt financing approved by voters during the 2006 bond referendum provides $1,500,000 for this project. Construction  of the park is scheduled for completion in 2013.

Stay tuned for demolition updates.

This summer Mayor Earnie Porta will be hosting historic tours of Occoquan River by kayak. The kayak tours will begin at 11:00 a.m. at Occoquan Regional Park (kayaks available for rent – $10/per).

1st and 3rd Saturday from May 5th to October 20th at 11 am. Cost: $10 per person. Please call Occoquan Regional Park at 703-690-2121 to confirm each week.

The Maryland Department of Natural Resource plans to reward 3 lucky snakehead killers with $200 cash. You read that correctly: anybody who catches and kills a snakehead fish should email photographic evidence to fishingreports@dnr.state.md.us for a chance to win.

This contest is good thing because the Northern snakehead is a non-native, invasive species that  negatively impacts the Potomac River ecosystem. As a top predator, the snakehead fish is a direct threat to valuable fish populations, including bass.

In case you were wondering, there are 3 ways to kills a snakehead: decapitation, evisceration, or gill arch removal. Check out the video for more information.

Via Baynet.com

In 2012 the residents of Occoquan will once again have the opportunity to elect a Mayor and new Town Council. Voting will take place at Town Hall from 6:00am – 7:00pm on Tuesday, May 1. Reminder, you must be registered to vote by April 9th in order to participate.

If you are interested in running for Town Council, now is your opportunity. You may obtain the necessary filing forms by contacting the Office of General Registrar at (703) 792-6470 or by downloading the forms from the State Board of Elections website.

The current Occoquan Town Council consists of:

Mayor:

Earnest W. Porta, Jr.

Town Council:

Elizabeth A. “Liz” Quist
Ken T. Brunsvold
Denise M. Bush
Patrick A. Sivigny
James N. Walbert

This weekend, for the fourth year in a row, the Prince William Marina is hosting the “Washington Capitol Boating Show” along the Occoquan waterfront. The boat show will be running all weekend long, from Friday at 2:00 until Sunday at 5:00.

There is an impressive list of 50 vendors that will be in attendance. Prince William Marina is a Sea Ray dealership and they will have many new & used boats on display. This year promises to include a large number of boats to explore, as both Hoffmaster’s Marina (Chaparrel Boats) and Holly Acres (Bayliner and Regal Boats) will also have boats on display.

If you’re thinking about buying a boat or just counting down the days until summertime, you should plan on stopping by.

Virginia Historical Society

The Opinionator Blog in the New York Times recently published an interesting recount of the importance of accurate maps during the Civil War. Understanding the twists and turns of the Occoquan River was vital, which prompted a comprehensive mapping effort.

Pohick Creek, about 10 miles southwest of Alexandria, was by then the forward line of the Union Army, while the Confederates held the Occoquan River, about 5 miles farther south. Heintzelman instructed Sneden to focus his mapping efforts on the area in between — a marshy bit of land known as Mason Neck — where the smugglers lived and rebels retreated after their repeated attacks on the Union line. Continue Reading

Virginia Historical Society

With Spring right around the corner, it’s time for the crazies to plunge into the freezing cold Potomac River. The 10th Annual Polar Plunge to benefit Virginia Special Olympics takes place today, Saturday February 25th, at Tim’s Rivershore.

The river will be rocking with live music, contests, prizes and more! Visit Tim’s for more information.

The 3rd Annual Occoquan River Spring Clean-Up with take place on Saturday, April 14th from 9:00am to 3:00pm.

The Prince William Trails and Stream Coalition is looking for experienced kayakers and canoeists to go for a paddle and pickup trash and debris along the way. Shuttle service for kayakers and canoeists will be available on a scheduled basis on both the Prince William and Fairfax sides of the river.

Register now and join your neighbors and volunteers in sprucing up the shoreline in town! Meet at Town Hall wearing sturdy shoes. Dumpsters, toilet facilities, trash bags, gloves and refreshments will be provided.

Calling all Civil War junkies! As Occoquan continues to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, a very special event has been planned for February 25, 2012.

The festivities begin at Town Hall at 10:30am when Robert Alton, the author of Strategm 1861, will lecture on the early history of the Civil War in northern Virginia.

At 11:30am, Brady’s Michigan Sharpshooters will reenact the events of February 3, 1862, when Companies H & I of the 3rd Michigan Infantry exchanged fire with Confederate troops drilling in Occoquan under the command of Wade Hampton.

Check out the Occoquan Historical Society website for additional details.

William Hong of William Hong Photography produced this short video that captures the flora and fauna on display at the newly rediscovered Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge.

Unbelievably, the tiny island in the middle of Occoquan Bay (known as Holiday Island, Dogue Island, Smoot Island, or Rock Island) has turned up for sale! The county assessment? $2,500 The list price? $477,000 ouch! Here is the virtual tour, courtesy of MRIS.

For some unknown reason, the address of the island is 15751 Featherstone Road. The island is 1/4 acre and zoned A-1 (agricultural) but you could probably talk Corey Stewart into rezoning the island for commercial office space.

Correction: A previous version of this story included photographs of Conrad Island.

January 19th – 22th

January 27th – 29th

February 17th – 19th

March 9th – 11th

March 23rd – 25th

Despite strenuous opposition from over 100 Occoquan residents and well-spoken appeals from many, including Mayor Porta and James Phelps, the Prince William County Board of Supervisors passed a resolution to rezone Tanyard Hill Road for commercial development.

Specifically, developer Ken Thompson will now be permitted to build a 32,500 square foot office building on an old windy road with dire traffic, drainage and erosion problems. The motion passed 5-3, under the unwavering support of Chairman Corey Stewart.

In favor of rezoning:

- Corey Stewart
- Wally Covington
- Peter Candland
- John Jenkins
- Maureen Caddigan

Opposed to rezoning:

- Michael May
- Martin Nohe
- Frank Principi

It is the official position of the Town of Occoquan and OccoquanWaterfront that the planned commercial development is flawed and will only exacerbate the existing traffic and flooding problems in town. The impact will be most keenly felt in November, 2015 – when the Prince William County Board of Supervisors is up for reelection.

No snow on the ground this year but this time-lapse video of the construction of Phase III of the Occoquan Reach community captures the impact of Snowmageddon in January 2010.

Calling all Occoquan residents: Please attend the Board of County Supervisors meeting on January 10 at 7:30 p.m. at the McCoart Administration Building to oppose the Oaks III rezoning request.  The Chairman of the Board, Corey Stewart, has flipped. He now supports the developer and is pressuring other members of the board to do so as well.

Please consider emailing the members of the Board of Supervisors to respectfully request that they support the Town of Occoquan in opposing the rezoning request and the accompanying negative storm water and traffic impact that will result.