The GO Virginia Region 8 Council is pleased to announce that it is accepting the third round of proposals for per capita projects to be funded through the State’s GO Virginia initiative.  For a project to be considered by the Region 8 Council, complete the pre-application and submit to the Central Shenandoah Planning District Commission (CSPDC) to bonnie@cspdc.org no later than Wednesday, February 7, 2018.

A planning calendar with key regional and state deadlines and upcoming meetings is available here: GOVA Region 8 Important Dates 01.10.18  The next full meeting of the GO Virginia Region 8 Council will be on Monday, March 5th, from 10:00 am to Noon at Mary Baldwin University’s Murphy Deming College of Health Sciences in Augusta County, located at 100 Baldwin Blvd, Fishersville, VA 22939.  In addition to the March 5th meeting, the Region 8 Council is also planning on convening on Friday, May 11th from 10 am to Noon at a location TBD in the Southern part of Region 8.

The Region 8 Council has approximately $928,000 in per capita GO Virginia funds to award to projects in the region for this round of applications.  In addition, approximately $11.3 million in competitive statewide GO Virginia funds are still available for projects.

Successful projects will address one or more of the region’s five targeted industry sectors:

• Financial and Business Services
• Health Care
• Information Technology/Communications
• Light Manufacturing
• Transportation and Logistics

Projects funded will address one or more of the region’s framework initiatives developed around the following broad areas:

• Recruit and/or retain the talent needed in the region
• Grow existing businesses, develop existing clusters, and scale-up small and mid-size companies
• Establish start-ups from commercializing university-based research and supporting entrepreneurs
• Support potential joint economic development activities such as site development and training initiatives

Projects supported by GO Virginia funding must:

• Involve private sector employment that pays an annual wage greater than $41,000,
• Include the collaboration of two or more localities,
• Commit non-state sources of matching funds (50/50), and
• Generate new spending to the Shenandoah Valley (not just recirculating local spending)

For further information about GO Virginia Region 8’s project priorities, please refer to the  Region 8 Economic Growth and Diversification Plan.  The entire plan with appendices is available at the Shenandoah Valley Partnership’s website at www.shenandoah-valley.biz/tools-resources/go-virginia/.  Additional information about GO Virginia also is available at the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development’s (DHCD) at  http://www.dhcd.virginia.gov/index.php/go-virginia.html.

The Staunton-Augusta-Waynesboro Metropolitan Planning Organization (SAWMPO) will host a final public meeting for the Wilson Workforce and Rehabilitation Center (WWRC) Transportation Study on Wednesday January 31, 2018, at the Wilson Middle School Cafeteria at 232 Hornet Drive, Fishersville.  The meeting is from 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM.

The study examines alternative/secondary access locations to the WWRC Complex, access management along US 250 (Jefferson Highway), and operational and safety issues along the corridor with the intent of developing short- and long-term improvement recommendations. Study recommendations presented at the meeting will be used to guide future transportation improvements in the area. The public is encouraged to attend the meeting and provide input. The SAWMPO is leading this effort in collaboration with Augusta County, and the Virginia Department of Transportation. To learn more about the study please visit the study website at: http://www.sawmpo.org/wwrc-small-area-transportation-study