WHSV3: Mar. 10, 2021
AUGUSTA COUNTY, Va. (WHSV) — Augusta County Administrator Tim Fitzgerald is representing the Central Shenandoah region on the Governor’s Vaccine Distribution Committee.
The committee is made up of about nine other county administrators or assistants across Virginia, which meets virtually each week with the state leadership team.
Staunton News Leader: Feb. 3, 2021
For Staunton, closing down Beverley Street continued into the new year, but the dip in temperatures also meant not a lot of people were coming out …
The Virginia Department of Health’s Central Shenandoah Health District (CSHD) is responsible for distributing the COVID-19 vaccine throughout the CSPDC region. The CSHD has launched several helpful resources to ensure accurate information about vaccine distribution reaches the public. Residents can sign-up for CSHD’s weekly COVID-19 e-newsletter or obtain further up-to-date information from the COVID-19 vaccine webpage. For those who would like to ask questions over the phone, CSHD holds phone-in office hours on Monday and Wednesday at 7:00 pm. To participate, dial 1-844-992-4726 and enter access code 132 173 5589.
WHSV 3; Jan. 11, 2021
The public schools in Rockbridge County have taken a number of precautions because of COVID, including most recently going to all-remote learning.
But while the students were out, they took advantage of the time and some CARES funding from the state to go one step further…
Augusta Free Press; Oct. 12, 2020
The GO Virginia State board has approved an $81,813 grant proposal submitted by a regional partnership in the Shenandoah Valley creating a Small Business Resiliency Team program….
Augusta Free Press; Nov. 9, 2020
Augusta County has been awarded a $567,063 grant for broadband funding from the Commonwealth of Virginia for the Swoope Tower Fixed Wireless and New Hope Telephone Cooperative fiber projects.
Both projects will increase broadband connectivity to improve distance learning, telework, and telehealth capabilities in response to COVID-19 for underserved areas identified in Augusta County’s 2016 Broadband Telecommunications Strategic Plan.
High speed internet will be available for those who subscribe or purchase the service.
“We are extremely grateful for this grant which will jumpstart two important projects for underserved areas,” said Pam Carter, Board of Supervisors vice-chair and member of the Augusta County Broadband Committee. “We are extremely fortunate to have robust relationships in place with two providers who have already demonstrated their interest to go the ‘last mile’ for our most remote residents.
Augusta County News; November 30, 2020
Augusta County has been awarded a third grant of $333,378 for broadband funding from the Commonwealth of Virginia as part of the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act). The grant funding will be used for the Lingo Networks Fiber Project.
Pam Carter, Board of Supervisors vice-chair and member of the Augusta County Broadband Committee, said, “Grants like these from the state and federal government are crucial to us so we can afford the overwhelming expense for getting broadband to our rural areas. That’s why I feel so fortunate for Augusta County to recently receive more than $900,000 in broadband grant money to benefit the citizens of the county.”
The rural fiber project will serve the Mountain Run residential area and households near the intersection of Heizer Tanyard and Jerusalem Chapel Roads located between Churchville and Buffalo Gap. Last-mile fiber-to-the home (FTTH) for 36 households are included in this project along with middle-mile fiber infrastructure which can serve additional FTTH customers. It was estimated that out of the initial 36 households, at least 25 households need broadband for income-related reasons.
Increased broadband connectivity will improve distance learning, telework, and telehealth capabilities in response to COVID-19 for underserved areas identified in Augusta County’s 2016 Broadband Telecommunications Strategic Plan. High speed internet will be available for those who subscribe or purchase the service. Future FTTH connections will be installed primarily through private funding from Lingo Networks.
Carter added, “We are so grateful to providers like Lingo Network for their willingness to partner with Augusta County to reach pockets of underserved citizens where the return on investment is not as great. Standard county revenue cannot begin to cover the costs to finance this service, so it is our task to identify and obtain funding sources to cover the thousands of households which need this service. The investment of private companies is essential for broadband service in our most rural areas.”
Lingo Networks performed extensive data research and interviews with farmers and landowners in the area in order to plan and prepare this project that would provide fiber connections to residents by December 25, 2020.
Lingo Networks is also a partner in a previously awarded project funded through the CARES Act that was announced on November 9. That project, the Swoope Tower Fixed Wireless Project, will provide last-mile broadband connection and middle-mile infrastructure for 310 households in Swoope. The first two broadband grants, for Swoope and another with New Hope Cooperative in New Hope, secured a total of $567,063 in funding, bringing the total of CARES Act funded broadband grants for Augusta County to $900,441.
The total cost for the Lingo Networks Fiber Project is $416,722 of which 80% (or $333,378) will be CARES Act funded. Augusta County and Lingo Networks will each contribute 10% of the total cost – or $41,672 each.
CSPDC News; August, 2020
In August the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) awarded CARES Act Recovery Assistance grants totaling $1.6 million to four EDA Economic Development District organizations in Virginia, including the CSPDC. On behalf of the region, the CSPDC hosted Mr. Dana Gartzke, Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development, Congressman Ben Cline, grant recipients, government officials, and key stakeholders for an award announcement at the Shenandoah Valley Regional Airport on August 24.
The four grant recipients include CSPDC, Crater Planning District Commission, Cumberland Plateau Planning District Commission, and West Piedmont Planning District Commission. Each district will receive $400,000 to use to update economic development plans and fortify programs to assist communities in responding to the coronavirus pandemic. The CSPDC plans to develop short- and long-term recovery efforts to expand teleworking opportunities, restart the tourism industry, support small businesses, and strengthen the supply chain of agricultural goods. Efforts also will engage local governments and the business community in creating a region-wide Recovery and Resiliency Plan.
The mission of the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) is to lead the federal economic development agenda by promoting competitiveness and preparing the nation’s regions for growth and success in the worldwide economy. An agency within the U.S. Department of Commerce, EDA makes investments in economically distressed communities in order to create jobs for U.S. workers, promote American innovation, and accelerate long-term sustainable economic growth.