Warren County agencies have come together for the second year to address the local need for an emergency shelter for women and children. While there is no shelter for them in the immediate area, Warren Coalition, Habitat for Humanity, Blue Ridge Housing Network, Phoenix Project, Warren County Department of Social Services, Bridge of Hope of Greater Warren, and the Hope and Rest Temporary Shelter (formerly the Thermal Shelter) are working together to build the fund that provides the women and children with emergency shelter in motels. The goal is to ensure that the families are safe while they look for long-term housing options.

The group will host a donation drive May 11th-18th. Donations of any amount will be accepted, but $5 donations will be awarded a “door prize” ticket, and $20 will receive five such tickets. During the Wine & Craft Festival on May 18th, door prizes of varying values will be given away. The group has gift certificates from The Apple House, The Vine & Leaf, Melania’s Gourmet, Martin’s, Sun Stoppers, On Cue, and C & C Frozen Treats. Additional prizes are being gathered through May 15th.

To make a monetary gift directly to the program, write a check to “Warren Coalition” and “Emergency Shelter” in the memo line. The check can be sent to Warren Coalition, PO Box 2058, Front Royal, VA 22630. Donations may also be made online at warrencoalition.org/support-the-coalition; select “Emergency Shelter for Women and Children” in the “Note” section.

The following is a list of highway work that may affect traffic in Warren County during the coming weeks. Scheduled work is subject to change due to inclement weather and material supplies. Motorists are advised to watch for slow-moving tractors during mowing operations. When traveling through a work zone, be alert to periodic changes in traffic patterns and lane closures.

*NEW* or *UPDATE* indicates a new or revised entry since last week’s report.

INTERSTATE 66
*NEW* Mile marker 0 to 15, eastbound and westbound – Overnight alternating lane closures for pavement marking installations, 8 p.m. to 4 a.m. Monday and Tuesday nights.

*NEW* Mile marker 0 to 2, eastbound – Right shoulder closures for utility work, 7:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. through May 31.

*NEW* Mile marker 8 to 7, westbound – Right shoulder closures for sign work, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Mile marker 9 to 7, westbound – Overnight right lane closures at Shenandoah River bridge for utility work, 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. through Thursday night.

INTERSTATE 81
*UPDATE* Mile marker 299 to 300, northbound – Overnight alternating lane closures for overhead sign repairs, 8 p.m. to 4 a.m. Monday night.

Mile marker 299 to 300, northbound – Right shoulder closures for utility work, 7:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. through May 31.

Mile marker 299 to 300, northbound and southbound –Overnight lane closures and traffic-lane shifts as needed, 8 p.m. to 7 a.m. through December 2024. Shoulder closures 24/7. Work zone speed limit: 55 miles an hour. Work is related to southbound acceleration ramp extension and bridge widening, with estimated completion in late 2024.

PRIMARY ROADS
*NEW* Route 55 (John Marshall Highway) – Flagger traffic control between Front Royal town limits and Route 647 (Dismal Hollow Road) for guardrail upgrades, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday (May 2) and Tuesday (May 7).

*NEW* Route 340 (Stonewall Jackson Highway) – Flagger traffic control between Route 674 (Limeton Church Road) and Route 607 (Rocky Lane) for pipe replacement, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. May 7 – May 14.

SECONDARY ROADS
Route 658 (Rockland Road) – Closed to through traffic between Route 340/522 (Winchester Road) and Route 705 (Fishnet Boulevard) for the construction of a bridge over Norfolk Southern Railway. Estimated completion December 2025.

Vegetation management may take place district-wide on various routes. Motorists are reminded to use extreme caution when traveling through work zones.

Traffic alerts and traveler information can be obtained by dialing 511 or at www.511Virginia.org.

Mike McCool sat down with Avery Harper and Susan Hrbek from the Phoenix Project to discuss the organization’s impactful work. Despite its significant contributions, the Phoenix Project often flies under the radar. The organization provides essential support for survivors of domestic and sexual violence in Front Royal and Warren County.

In July 2023, the Phoenix Project achieved professional accreditation from the Department of Criminal Justice Services, signifying its commitment to high standards in administration, crisis intervention, advocacy, and community engagement.

The Phoenix Project has a 24/7 hotline for survivors and collaborates with local police to immediately assist those in need. The organization offers transportation services for clients needing to reach various locations, including courthouses and medical facilities. It also provides language and interpretation services to non-English-speaking clients.

The top reasons people contact the Phoenix Project include crisis intervention, counseling, criminal justice information, and referrals to other services. The organization maintains strict confidentiality, and its website features a quick exit button to protect the privacy of those seeking help.

The organization relies on grants and fundraising to operate. One notable fundraiser is a Mother’s Day basket raffle, with tickets available online or at their office. The Phoenix Project also hosts a popular wine pull event.

The Phoenix Project will celebrate its 10th anniversary in May with a public event. The organization has provided shelter for many survivors, including women, children, and men, who face domestic or sexual violence. Their work highlights that such violence affects people from all walks of life.

In January 2023, the Phoenix Project expanded its services to include a sexual assault program, with a dedicated advocate providing support and education.

The Phoenix Project’s services are free and confidential, helping survivors of all genders. The organization encourages anyone in need of assistance to call, whether they are experiencing physical violence or other troubling relationship dynamics. The Phoenix Project is a vital resource in the community, offering support and safety to those in need.

For more information, please visit their website.

Town Talk is a series on the Royal Examiner where we will introduce you to local entrepreneurs, businesses, non-profit leaders, and political figures who influence Warren County. Topics will be varied but hopefully interesting. Let us know if you have an idea topic or want to hear from someone in our community. Send your request to news@RoyalExaminer.com

Andrew Carnegie’s journey from rags to riches is a quintessential American success story. Born in 1835 in Dunfermline, Scotland, Carnegie hailed from a poor working-class family that lived in a cramped one-room weaver’s cottage shared with another family. In 1848, seeking a better life, the family emigrated to Pennsylvania. Carnegie, then just a boy, started his American life with humble beginnings.

Initially, Carnegie worked for pennies as a textile worker and later as a telegraph messenger. However, his hard work and determination paid off. By the age of 24, he had climbed the ranks to become the Western Division of the Pennsylvania Railroad superintendent, earning a remarkable $1,500 a year, roughly equivalent to $50,000 today. This role was a stepping stone, propelling him into a significant position within the burgeoning railroad industry.

During the American Civil War, Carnegie was appointed the superintendent of the Union’s military railways, a prestigious position that put him at the forefront of a vital industry. During this time, he began investing in railway projects and oil companies, recognizing the booming potential in these sectors.

After the war, Carnegie focused on the steel industry, rapidly expanding due to the demand for rail lines and bridges. He fully embraced the Bessemer process, which refined pig iron into lighter, stronger, and cheaper steel. This innovation revolutionized the steel industry, and Carnegie Steel became the largest producer of pig iron, steel rails, and coke.

Carnegie’s success reached its zenith, making him the richest man in America when he died in 1919. However, despite his immense wealth, Carnegie firmly believed that “the man who dies thus rich dies disgraced.” True to his philosophy, he gave away 90 percent of his fortune to philanthropic causes, including founding Carnegie Mellon University and establishing over 2,500 public libraries.

Carnegie’s life story is a testament to the power of hard work, innovation, and philanthropy, illustrating how one man’s determination can shape industries and benefit future generations.

After attempting to ban the products in previous sessions, the Democratic legislature passed a bill Republican Gov. Glenn Younkgin signed that bans the sale of pavement sealant containing a set of chemicals environmental groups say seep into the environment, causing health issues for wildlife and humans. The ban begins July 1.

House Bill 985 prohibits the sale of the sealant used for driveways and parking lots that use certain concentrations of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons, or PAHs, chemicals commonly found in coal tar.

“PAHs are definitely toxic. There isn’t a question about that,” said Joe Wood, senior scientist with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, a major backer of the bill. “When organisms — whether oysters, mice, or fish — are exposed to these products in research studies, they have caused negative health effects.”

But groups that use the pavement sealers, primarily the Pavement Coating Technology Council, pushed back against the bill during the session, saying they shouldn’t be stopped from using the PAH-heavy sealants because other sources of the chemicals release them into the environment.

“We’re concerned that small businesses across Virginia will get snarled by these violations and penalties and not have anywhere to turn to remedy that situation,” said Alex Thorup, a lobbyist on behalf of the PCTC.

Other sealers felt differently. Michael Jones, owner of Jones Striping and Sealcoating LLC, said the PAH ban shouldn’t be a problem, given the health benefits his employees experienced after switching to an alternative material and that his company has still found work.

“We learned, of course, first hand, that [the coal tar] is toxic, and it does burn the skin also,” Jones said in a Feb. 27 committee testimony. “We [switched] because of the health of our clients’ employees and, of course, protecting the environment.”

The chemicals and how often they are used

The PAH chemicals naturally occur in coal, crude oil, and gasoline. The PAHs in pavement sealants come from coal tar, a byproduct of coking, or heating up coal to make it a higher quality.

The pavement sealant uses coal tar to fill cracks and provide a smooth finish on top of asphalt. From there, the pavement’s dust is kicked up into the air by the wind, washed away by stormwater runoff, or knocked loose from abrasive tires on roadways.

A study from the U.S. Geological Survey found that house dust in areas around where coal tar seal coating was used had a PAH concentration of 129 milligrams per kilogram. The seal coat itself had a PAH concentration of 66,000 milligrams per kilogram. Coal tar comprises about 20 to 35% of the product.

Conversely, non-coal tar sealants — such as asphalt emulsion, usually made up of asphalt water and soap — produced lower PAH concentrations in house dust, as little as 5 milligrams per kilogram. The asphalt emulsion product itself typically has concentrations of 50 milligrams per kilogram.

“Asphalt and asphalt-based seal coat products have much lower concentrations of PAHs,” USGS stated.

The environmental health harm

Several different research papers point to the chemicals causing harm to ecosystems, though some of the research is disputed.

The USGS research found that people living near coal tar sealants were 38 times more likely to have an “extra risk” of developing cancer than those living near unsealed pavement. In the Elizabeth River, the PAH chemicals from a nearby wood treatment plant were found to be a “plausible link” to cancer in killifish.

The presence of PAH from leaking petroleum storage tanks in Lewis Creek led the Department of Environmental Quality to create a total daily maximum load limit, or TMDL, in 2006 to reduce the amount of pollution runoff.

“With successful completion of implementation plans, Virginia will be well on the way to restoring impaired waters and enhancing the value of this important resource,” the TMDL plan stated.

However, the Pavement Coating Technology Council has pointed to errors in the USGS research, stating invalid modeling was used. The group also called out PAH pollution research done in Austin, Texas, which has waterways with more of a rock-based bottom that soil washes away from instead of East Coast waterways with dirt bottoms that collect soil over time.

The Austin research sampled soils in the waterway in 2005, 2008, and 2023 and didn’t find an accumulation of PAH chemicals, said Robert DeMott, a toxicologist with environmental engineering firm Ramboll, in a Feb. 27 committee testimony.

“We found that the ban did not yield a noticeable reduction in PAH levels across all of those creek systems,” said DeMott. “A narrowly targeted approach of focusing on only one source is unlikely to change the environment at large substantially.”

DEQ Director Michael Rolband added testimony on the bill saying the PAH chemicals are toxic, but linking their presence in the environment with pavement sealants was questionable.

A 2018 DEQ report summarizing research on the topic stated: “Land-use analyses have found that PAH concentrations do not correlate well with impervious surfaces if roadways are included. However, if roadways are separated out, PAH concentration correlates weakly with roadways and much more strongly with other types of impervious surface (i.e., parking lots).”

What the bill does

The bill creates a new section under the Environmental Emergency Response Fund statute, which is used for cleaning up environmental hazards.

Del. Kathy Tran, D-Fairfax County’s legislation sets a ban on selling pavement sealers with a PAH concentration of more than 1% of the product weight after July 1.

There’s also a provision that lets businesses in Virginia with the product in stock sell their inventory, but no one will be able to use it after July 1 of next year. Violations of the bans would result in a $250 penalty; those funds would then be deposited into the Environmental Emergency Response Fund.

The changes shouldn’t be a problem, Tran testified in committee testimony, considering that most large retailers selling gallon buckets of the sealant for homeowners to use on driveways are no longer doing so.

Jones, whose business deals with practical aspects of the product, including applying it to the ground, added compliance shouldn’t pose a challenge, considering his business transitioned away from the coal tar product years ago.

The change may have resulted in a 5 to 10% cost increase for him. However, his company’s portfolio of smaller projects is still active, evidenced by a 450-square-foot parking lot he recently did in downtown Richmond, which used 350 gallons of low-PAH sealant for the job.

“The quality is the same if not better,” Jones said, adding that his work is “a drop in the bucket” compared to the size and number of projects in the rest of the state.

National sealant distributors, like SealMaster, which has several locations in Virginia, have endorsed the pivot away from coal tar sealants with higher PAH concentrations in favor of “environmentally friendly” sealers.

For Jones, the health and safety of his workers outweigh any cost increases from the alternative sealants he uses now.

“They were coming [to work], but they weren’t as happy,” Jones said of his employees who may have been injured by coal tar sealant and previously had to wear long sleeves and facemasks in the outdoor heat as a precaution.

This story was updated to correct that the year DEQ’s report came out was 2018 and the concentrations of PAH in a coal tar sealant product.

by Charlie Paullin, Virginia Mercury

Virginia Mercury is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Virginia Mercury maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Samantha Willis for questions: info@virginiamercury.com. Follow Virginia Mercury on Facebook and Twitter.

The Virginia State Police are investigating a two-vehicle crash on Interstate 81 in Shenandoah County. The crash occurred Friday, May 3, at 5:46 a.m. at the Route 646 overpass at the 292-mile maker of I-81.

A 2005 Kenworth dump truck was traveling north on I-81 when the driver accidentally engaged the dump bed, which raised it and caused it to collide with the bridge overpass. The collision caused the dump bed to detach from the truck, slide backward, and land on a northbound 2022 Ford Explorer, which was driven by a Frederick County Sheriff’s deputy.

The dump truck driver, Gaylon R. Miller, 71, of Toms Brook, Va., was not injured in the crash. He was wearing his seatbelt.

The sheriff’s deputy suffered minor injuries and was transported to Winchester Medical Center for treatment.

Miller was charged with reckless driving.

These photos indicate what a close call this deputy appears to have had. – Photos by Virginia State Police who authorize their publication.

(From a Release by the Virginia State Police)