May is  National Bike Month , an annual celebration to increase awareness and participation in bicycling as a healthy, economic, and sustainable transportation option. The CSPDC, along with its Bike the Valley and Rideshare Programs, are assisting the City of Staunton and Harrisonburg’s Shenandoah Valley Bicycle Coalition with events and activities on Bike to Work Day, May 18th. The   Staunton Bike/Walk to Work Commuter Breakfast  will be held downtown at the Wharf parking lot from 7:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.   Harrisonburg’s event  will be at Court Square in downtown Harrisonburg from 7:00 a.m. until 10:00 a.m. Both events are free!

Visit  Bike the Valley and  Shenandoah Valley Bicycle Coalition for updates on activities being held throughout May in addition to Bike to Work Day, including: Ice Cream Ride, Glowstick Ride on the Bluestone Trail, the Bike, Run, Sweat and Beers Ride, and the annual Ride of Silence. For more information on Staunton and Harrisonburg’s Bike/Walk to Work Day events and the CSPDC’s regional bicycle and pedestrian program, contact Ann Cundy ann@cspdc.org.

The GO Virginia Region 8 Council is now accepting proposals for projects to be funded through the Commonwealth’s GO Virginia initiative to grow and diversify regional economies. GO Virginia is an initiative by Virginia’s senior business leaders to foster private-sector growth and job creation through state incentives for regional collaboration by business, education, and government. The Region 8 Council has approximately $828,000 in per capita GO Virginia funds to award for collaborative projects that involve two or more localities and a private sector partner. Projects should be focused on the targeted industries and eligible activities identified in  Region 8’s Growth and Diversification Plan . In addition to the per capita funds, approximately $11.3 million in competitive statewide GO Virginia funds are also available for projects where two or more GO Virginia regions partner.

Applicants are strongly encouraged to review the project application guide available on the Shenandoah Valley Partnership website prior to completing an application. The upcoming application deadlines are June 1, 2018, for per capita and competitive applications, and August 3, 2018, for per capita applications.

Click here for Region 8 Application Process Infographic.

The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) has begun phase III of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Implementation Plan (WIP III). The State is required to submit a draft plan to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in March 2019 that will ensure pollution control measures needed to fully restore the Bay are in place no later than 2025.

DEQ has contracted with the CSPDC (and 14 other PDCs across the state) to assist the Non-MS4 localities in the region with refining and identifying Best Management Practices (BMPs) and programmatic actions, at regional levels, that will meet local area planning goals for the WIP. Our process will begin in June 2018 and wrap-up in December 2018.

A parallel process with the agricultural community will be taking place with services and technical assistance provided by the Soil and Water Conservation Districts.

For more information on this project and next steps please contact Liza Vick (540-885-5174), regional planner, at the CSPDC.