Category Archives: News

Staunton-Augusta-Waynesboro Housing Summit Set

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In partnership with the Community Foundation of the Central Blue Ridge, Augusta Health, Valley Community Services Board, and Valley Homeless Connection, the CSPDC is pleased to announce the Staunton-Augusta-Waynesboro (SAW) Housing Summit. The event will be held on October 11th & 12th at the Holiday Inn & Conference Center in Staunton.

The SAW Housing  Summit is a result of collaborative work across numerous organizations in the SAW region since March 2020. This coalition of organizations joined together to disburse critical funding and resources to underserved communities during the COVID-19 pandemic, including those experiencing housing insecurity. As the short-term impacts of the pandemic began to lessen, the group turned their attention toward our region’s more persistent housing challenges that remained, from addressing homelessness to providing accessible housing to our local workforce. The Summit will culminate the work that has taken place and provide a forum for planning to address our regional housing issues into the future.

The Summit will take place over the course of a day and a half, and will incorporate a variety of speakers, facilitated discussions, and brainstorming sessions. It will conclude with an action-focused facilitated discussion on Day 2 to chart a path forward.

For more information on the SAW Housing Summit and to submit your e-mail for future correspondence, visit www.sawhousing.com.

Region 8 Council Approves Projects

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At its meeting on July 25 at the Shihadeh Innovation Center in Winchester, the Region 8 Council approved two applications for funding. The Shenandoah Valley Center for Advanced Learning (SVCAL) requested $884,500 in GO Virginia funding to address skill and employment gaps in the manufacturing and transportation sectors in the region. Funds will be used to make significant updates to replace outdated training equipment and to support the addition of new programs specifically aviation technology, industrial maintenance, and heavy equipment. Local contributions for facility renovations and industry partner resources for work-based learning, internships, and apprenticeship training, along with the requested GO Virginia funds will be used to create a reimagined and state-of-the art regional training center at the Valley Technical and Career Center in Fishersville.

The Region 8 Council also approved a $100,000 Enhanced Capacity Building grant application for the Winchester Airport.  Funds will be used to analyze a 27-acre tract of land owned by the Winchester Regional Airport Authority and zoned for aeronautical use acre.  The land is capable of accommodating a wide range of aviation uses, including aircraft manufacturing and is the most valuable asset to the business development strategy of the airport.

The State GO Virginia Board will consider these two applications at its September meeting.

Other news and information about GO Virginia Region 8 is available at https://govirginiaregion8.org/

 

Southeast Crescent Regional Commission Established

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Established as a federal-state partnership by the 2008 Farm Bill, Southeast Crescent Regional Commission (SCRC) was authorized to begin operating with the confirmation of a Federal Co-Chair in December 2021. The purpose of the SCRC is to build sustainable communities and promote economic growth across a seven- state region – Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia. SCRC will receive annual appropriations from Congress to invest in economic and infrastructure development projects that reduce the effects of persistent poverty, unemployment and outmigration.

The program mirrors the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC).  The CSPDC will act as the local administrator of the program and provide technical assistance to the SCRC – eligible communities in our PDC:  Augusta, Staunton, Waynesboro, Rockingham, and Harrisonburg.  To learn more about SCRC please go to:  www.scrc.gov

 

Afton Express Featured on Virginia Public Radio

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This past spring, Virginia Public Radio reached out to the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT) and the CSPDC to develop a feature story on the Afton Express as part of a series about how CARES funds have been used across the Commonwealth.

RadioIQ reporter Mallory Noe-Payne traveled to Fishersville in April to ride the Afton Express, talk to staff, and interview passengers. Paula Melester, a Regional Planner for the CSPDC, joined Mallory on her round-trip ride over the mountain. Along the ride, several passengers shared their personal experiences with the Afton Express and how this service has contributed to the quality of their commute. Their stories are captured in this radio segment.

DRPT’s Director of Rail and Public Transportation, Jennifer DeBruhl is also interviewed. Funding for the Afton Express through FY23 was provided by DRPT through a demonstration grant, partially supported by CARES Act funds. Director DeBruhl says that using these funds to help launch the Afton Express was a “no brainer”, as the service connects workers in the Shenandoah Valley to the Hospital System at the University of Virginia. During the pandemic, the service offered a transportation option for essential workers.

The story aired on Virginia Public Radio on June 21 and was shared on the WVTF/RadioIQ website. You can read or listen to the story here.

CSPDC Receives Housing Grants

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In July, the CSPDC received notice of two grant awards from Virginia Housing. Collectively, these grants bring $1,725,000 in housing funds to the region. The CSPDC received an allocation of $1.7 million in funds through Virginia Housing’s Sponsoring Partnerships & Revitalizing Communities (SPARC) Program, a special allocation of reduced rate funding which provides a 1% adjustment to interest rates below Virginia Housing’s prevailing home loan rates. These funds will be used to complement the CSPDC’s existing First Time Homebuyer Program, which provides down payment and closing cost assistance to income-qualified homebuyers at 80% AMI or below. The CSPDC is currently completing initial program development activities with Virginia Housing and will begin outreach to Virginia Housing approved lenders in the coming month.

Additionally, the CSPDC received a $15,000 Community Impact Grant to conduct a Preliminary Architecture Report for a key property in Downtown Monterey. The building is the former home of the Highland Recorder Newspaper, and the property owner is partnering with the CSPDC, Highland County EDA, and Monterey town officials to assess potential future residential use. The study will kick off in August, and its findings will be used to determine best next steps for future re-development of the site for housing opportunities.

CSPDC Earns $100K ARC READY LDD Grant

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The Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) announced the $100,000 grant award to the CSPDC on June 15. The ARC READY LDD (Local Development District) program seeks to expand district staffing and capacity in order to grow support for eligible communities to identify, access, and implement monies available at the federal level. Funding sources include, but are not limited to, the American Rescue Plan Act and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. The CSPDC serves as the LDD for the following localities: Bath County, Highland County, Rockbridge County, City of Buena Vista, City of Lexington, and the towns of Glasgow, Goshen, and Monterey.

“This award will greatly assist the CSPDC in helping our localities identify and obtain federal funds that will be invaluable to our communities, business, and citizens as we recover from the lingering impacts of the pandemic,” stated David Blanchard, CSPDC chair and Highland County supervisor.

Learn more about the latest ARC awards HERE.

Harrisonburg Awarded RAISE Grant

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The US Department of Transportation awarded the City of Harrisonburg a $14,368,180 RAISE Grant to convert one driving lane of US-11 (Liberty Street and Noll Drive) to a two-way separated bicycle facility between the intersections of Main Street and Noll Drive, and Grattan Street and Liberty Street. The grant will also construct a shared-use path along Main Street between Grattan Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Way.

The new bicycle and pedestrian facilities are anticipated to increase bicycling and walking in the City, supporting Harrisonburg’s environmental sustainability, mobility, community connectivity, and economic development goals.

Harrisonburg is in the process of getting under contract with US DOT. All funds must be expended by 2032. For more information about this project, view this City of Harrisonburg News Release.

CSPDC Receives $100,000 Grant to Help Appalachian Communities Access More Federal Funds

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This award will help the CSPDC expand technical assistance for its ARC communities of Bath, Highland, Rockbridge, Buena Vista, and Lexington seeking federal funding.

The Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC), in partnership with the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development, recently announced the award of nearly $2.5 million in funding to 26 Local Development Districts (LDDs) in nine Appalachian states. The Central Shenandoah Planning District Commission (CSPDC) received $100,000 and was one of six awards in Virginia. The award will help expand CSPDC staffing capacity to better support eligible localities throughout the region in identifying, accessing, and implementing federal funding through American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), and other funding sources.

The Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) is a regional economic development agency representing a unique partnership of federal, state, and local government. Established by an act of Congress in 1965, ARC is composed of the governors of the 13 Appalachian states and a federal co‐chair, who is appointed by the president. Local participation is provided through multi‐county Local Development Districts (LDDs) with support from community, business, and civic leaders. Each year Congress appropriates funds for ARC programs, which ARC allocates among its member states for economic development programs such as a safe and efficient highway system; education, job‐training, and health care programs; water and sewer systems; and entrepreneurial and capital market development.

The Central Shenandoah Planning District Commission (CSPDC) has served as the Local Development District (LDD) since 1980. Located in the heart of the Shenandoah Valley, this LDD includes five ARC communities: Bath County, Highland County, Rockbridge County, City of Buena Vista, and City of Lexington. There are also three incorporated towns in the district:  Glasgow, Goshen, and Monterey.

The grant award comes through READY LDDs, one of four key economic development tracks that make up READY Appalachia, ARC’s new community-capacity building initiative. The program offers free training and flexible funding for nonprofit organizations, community foundations, local governments, and LDDs located in the Appalachian Region.

“ARC remains committed to working with our partners in our Local Development Districts to build parity throughout all of Appalachia, and this latest round of funding will augment the work these Local Development Districts are doing to help their communities utilize unprecedented amounts of federal funding across the region,” said ARC Federal Co-Chair Gayle Manchin.

“This award will greatly assist the CSPDC in helping our localities identify and obtain federal funds that will be invaluable to our communities, business, and citizens as we recover from the lingering impacts of the pandemic,” said David Blanchard, CSPDC chair and Highland County supervisor.

Discover Transit in June

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BRITE Bus and the Afton Express are joining the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT) in celebrating transit during the month of June. The “Discover Transit” campaign sponsored by DRPT runs from mid-April to June 2023 and highlights the many public transit options riders have throughout the Commonwealth. Locally, we are proud to promote our very own BRITE Bus system which serves the cities of Staunton and Waynesboro, and Augusta County, with a small footprint in southern Rockingham County and the city of Harrisonburg by way of the Blue Ridge Community College Shuttle. Also in the Staunton, Augusta, and Waynesboro region is the Afton Express – our commuter bus connecting the valley with Charlottesville and Albemarle County via the I-64 corridor.

Discover Transit encourages Virginia residents to return to transit or try transit for the first time. It focuses on the community connection that transit creates. Here in the Staunton-Augusta-Waynesboro (SAW) region, BRITE Bus connects residents to their most important destinations. With eight different routes, BRITE Bus regularly helps people get to work, essential appointments, and to run errands. In addition to these fixed routes, BRITE also offers ADA Paratransit Service for individuals with disabilities that prevent them from accessing the standard fixed-route bus stops.

BRITE Transit and the Afton Express are running a fare-free promotion on Wednesday, June 21st in celebration of this campaign. In addition to BRITE Bus, there are a number of transit options throughout the CSPDC region. We encourage you to try one of these services during the month of June! Visit the following transit agency websites below to learn how public transit can get you where you need to go.

Harrisonburg Dept. of Public Transportation (Harrisonburg & James Madison University)

BRITE Bus (Staunton, Waynesboro, Augusta County, and parts of southern Rockingham County)

Afton Express (Staunton, Waynesboro, and Augusta County)

Rockbridge Area Transportation System (Rockbridge, Alleghany, and Bath Counties)

RADAR (Buena Vista, Lexington, and Rockbridge County)

You can also visit https://connectingva.drpt.virginia.gov/ to view all public transportation options statewide.