Occoquan River Communities
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Join Occoquan River CommunitiesOccoquan River Communities (ORC) is a not-for-profit, grass roots organization, whose mission is to create a preferred destination along the Occoquan River and to foster responsible development, promotion, and stewardship of the Occoquan Watershed.

Through our members -- residents, businesses, civic and merchant associations, developers, and governments – ORC will:


ORC is not a political advocacy group.

History

The Occoquan River Communities organization is an outgrowth of a series of brainstorming/planning sessions held in 2007 entitled Occoquan River Communities – Think About Potential (TAP). The TAP sessions, which were open to the public, were hosted by Occoquan Mayor Earnie Porta and facilitated by John Houser, manager of the Occoquan Regional Park. Attendees represented both Fairfax and Prince William counties and included area business and marina owners, residents, property owners and developers, representatives of various civic and homeowner’s groups, and government representatives. During the TAP sessions, participants discussed their vision and hopes for the region, emphasizing their belief that the Occoquan River and the many sites along and surrounding its banks represent a very desirable and somewhat neglected resource. It was determined that a formal organization could be effective in fostering renewed interest, recognition and utilization of the Occoquan River region and its many attractions and facilities. A decision was made to create Occoquan River Communities, Inc. and the organization was formally incorporated in June of 2008.

Officers

Founding officers of the ORC are:

Barry Dean, President: Mr. Dean has been a member of the Occoquan Town Council since 2005, and was recently re-elected to his 2nd term. Dean retired from his career as an Air Force intelligence officer in 1999 and today serves as senior principal analyst in the National Solutions Group of CACI. He holds a BA in Slavic Studies from the University of Alabama, Huntsville and a MA in Public Administration from Webster University. Dean and his wife, Betty are residents of Occoquan.

Patrick Barney, Vice President: Patrick Barney is President of 4 More Travel, Inc. and serves on the Board of the Occoquan Merchants Association. He enjoyed a 25-year career with large corporations such as Coca-Cola and ITT Financial and has been a small business owner for more than 20 years. Mr. Barney serves on the boards of several not-for-profit organizations. He resides in Fairfax County with his wife, Susan Shockley.

John Houser, Secretary: Mr. Houser accepted the position of manager for the Occoquan Regional Park in 2007. He has over 30 years’ experience in Parks and Recreation and regional development, having served as a municipal parks and recreation director, state director of Rails to Trails, and most recently director of partnerships and marketing for the Ohio and Erie National Heritage Canalway. He holds a BA from Ohio Wesleyan University and a MA from Case Western Reserve University. Houser is a resident of Fairfax County. He and his wife, Nancy, have five children.

Earnie Porta, Treasurer: Mr. Porta has been Mayor of the Town of Occoquan since July of 2006 and was recently re-elected to his second term. He holds a BS in Foreign Service, a JD from Georgetown University and an MA in history from George Mason University. He will begin his doctoral studies in history this fall at Georgetown University. With a 15 year background in finance, Earnie is an officer and member in a variety of local civic organizations, including the Occoquan Historical Society, Sea Scout Ship 7916, the Prince William Trails and Streams Coalition, the Prince William County Democratic Party, and the Prince William Committee of 100. He resides in Occoquan with his wife, Barbara.

Future Plans

ORC has signed a memorandum of understanding with Economic Development Strategies and Technologies (EDS&T) – an economic development consulting firm headed by Miles Friedman, a nationally recognized economic development consultant; and Tim Jackson, founder of one of the area’s fastest-growing technology companies, MDA Technologies. In addition to developing the ORC website and collateral materials, EDS&T will assist ORC in developing a strategic plan and a set of long- and short-term goals to help advance the ORC mission.

Join Occoquan River CommunitiesMembership

The ORC has four levels of membership, which are described below under the heading "Membership Information."

To join the ORC, please download our membership application, complete it and mail it, along with your membership check to:

Occoquan River Communities, Inc.
PO BOX 502
Occoquan, VA 22125


Membership Information

Friends of ORC -- $50 (for individuals)


Commander -- $200


Captains -- $500


Admirals -- $1000