CSPDC staff kicked off the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) READY Local Development District (LDD) program with stakeholder outreach meetings involving local government and community leaders. Meetings occurred with local government representatives from the counties of Bath, Highland, and Rockbridge, the cities of Buena Vista and Lexington, and the towns of Glasgow, Goshen, and Monterey in August and September. CSPDC followed up with an ARC READY LDD presentation to community leaders in September and October.
Currently, the remaining stakeholder outreach meetings are scheduled in the Rockbridge Area on October 12 at 11 AM (Virginia Innovation Accelerator in Buena Vista) and on October 26 at 11 AM (Virginia Horse Center in Rockbridge County/Lexington). Over the course of the next several months, CSPDC staff will facilitate stakeholder engagement meetings to develop, prioritize, and compete for federal funding to source locally developed projects.
Initial regional feedback on areas for community improvement generally involve housing (inventory, affordability, quality), infrastructure (poor condition, aging, non-existent, needs expanding), workforce development (economic growth, jobs, livable wages), and wraparound services (daycare/childcare). Targeted funding includes, but is not limited to, the American Rescue Plan Act and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. For more information on the ARC and their READY Appalachian programs visit: https://www.arc.gov/, or contact the CSPDC at (540) 885-5174.