Politics & Government
New Fire Chief to City Council: 'I'm Right at Home'
This is Manassas Park Fire Chief David Dixon's first week on the job. He hails from the Norfolk City Fire Department.
David Dixon, a former battalion chief with the Norfolk City Fire Department, officially began his role as the new Manassas Park fire chief this week.
Dixon, a 36-year firefighting veteran, was introduced to the public at a Manassas Park City Council meeting Tuesday night. of about 50 candidates and will serve as the new chief of the 27-member City of Manassas Park Fire Department. Dixon replaces Fire Marshal Mark Joyner, who was the acting interim fire chief.
Dixon told the council that the city reminded him of his first paid firefighting job in Williamsburg in 1979—both are small cities that radiate a sense of community.
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“The city of Manassas Park is a great city by any standard,” Dixon said, “Being here makes me feel like I’m right at home.”
Dixon actually started working on Monday, trying to familiarize himself with the city and the department’s procedures. As part of that process, he will ride on the fire trucks, answer fire and rescue calls and visit each shift at the city’s lone fire house.
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“I’ve just been on the job a few days,” Dixon said, “But I can see that I’ve inherited a professional department on the move.”
The council noted that at one point, Dixon led the Norfolk fire and rescue training program that is responsible for the education of more than 500 career personnel at 14 fire stations throughout the city.
In other matters, the council on a unanimous vote adopted the planning commission’s recommendation to waive a $1,600 Conditional Use Permit (CUP) bill that was charged to when the restaurant applied for a live entertainment permit. City planner Vanessa Watson asked the the planning commission on Monday to approve the waiver after the restaurant threatened to rescind the CUP application because the fee was too high.
The council also approved an updated land development fee schedule, drastically reducing some charges. For example, the CUP permit fee was reduced from $1,000 to $150; the Proffer Amendment was dropped from $2,000 to $500 and the Comprehensive Plan Amendment was cut to $500 from $1,000. The council also approved zoning changes for its industrial district.
The council also scheduled a public hearing on May 1 for discussion of the