Category Archives: News

Rockbridge Submits VATI Grants

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Rockbridge County submitted two 2023 Virginia Telecommunication Initiative (VATI) applications in August to bring universal, high-speed internet coverage to the County. The CSPDC assisted the County with both applications, and if awarded, the CSPDC will provide grant administration services for the County. Awards will be announced in late December 2022.

Rockbridge County submitted an application with co-applicant BARC Electric with a total project cost of $24,161,207 and VATI funding request of $16,154,509 to serve 1,413 locations. Rockbridge County submitted a second application with co-applicant Brightspeed with a total project cost of $11,112,180 and VATI funding request of $7,395,160 to serve 2,020 locations in the County.

 

VEDA Remote Work Panel Presentation Features CSPDC Localities

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Attracting the remote workforce is a new strategy for many communities, with the potential for big impacts on local economies without a big investment in infrastructure. The Fall Virginia Economic Developers Association (VEDA) Conference will feature a panel presentation with Main Street America, Virginia Main Street, the CSPDC, and the City of Buena Vista. The panel will highlight Virginia Main Street’s Remote Work Pilot Program and discuss how communities can identify existing assets and infrastructure needs to successfully attract and retain remote workers. This session will explore the key commonalities and unique market positions to inspire economic developers across the state.

CSPDC Planner, Grace Blanchard, will share efforts within the Central Shenandoah Region to analyze remote work trends and capture remote work related growth. The CSPDC has provided technical assistance to DHCD’s Work from Home Pilot Program, supporting studies in Harrisonburg, Highland, and Buena Vista. Additionally, the CSPDC’s COVID-19 Economic Impact Report, prepared by Chmura Analytics, includes a remote work analysis, and information on telework plans, remote work trends, and broadband are available on the CSPDC’s COVID-19 Recovery Webpage.

Dayton Downtown Planning Project Kicks Off

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On August 16th, the Town of Dayton hosted a public meeting to kick off their downtown revitalization initiative. Community members and business owners came out to hear about the Town’s plans to transform Downtown Dayton into a vibrant year-round destination and activity center. This marks the first step toward implementing the Community Development Block Grant the Town received from the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development. The Town is in process of assessing the existing conditions of their downtown properties. Once the assessment is completed at the end of September, the Town will advertise a request for proposals for a consultant to develop a revitalization plan that will guide the Town’s efforts to reenergize Dayton’s business district. The CSPDC is providing grant writing and administrative services.

BRITE Bus RFI 2022-001-Mobile Data Collection System

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Please click link:  RFI 2022-001

The Central Shenandoah Planning District Commission (CSPDC) administers the transit funds for the BRITE public transit system, and plans and manages the BRITE transit service(s). The CSPDC desires to implement a mobile data collection system (MDCS) for the BRITE transit vehicle fleet. The MDCS will be a foundational technology for BRITE operations, transitioning from more manual methods of collecting data while also providing a rich data source to support operations and planning. The purpose of this RFI is to obtain information from vendors with products designed to administer mobile data collection for fixed route bus transit vehicle fleets. It is the intent of the Central Shenandoah Planning District Commission (CSPDC) to use the RFI responses to develop system requirements and issue a formal Request for Proposal (RFP).

 

Central Shenandoah Pandemic Plan Unveiled

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In July 2020, the Central Shenandoah Region was awarded funding from the Economic Development Administration to complete a Pandemic Recovery and Resiliency Plan.  The purpose of the plan is to help guide the localities in the region in their economic recovery from the current COVID-19 pandemic and provide them with strategies to become more resilient to future shocks.  The planning process included analyzing critical data about the pandemic’s impacts, capturing local government, business, and non-profit organizations best practices to “weather the storm”, and creating strategies and practical actions that can be implemented to increase the resilience in our region.  The plan can be found on the CSPDC website HERE.

Round 5 SMART SCALE Projects Submitted

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On August 1, applicants in our region submitted 18 SMART SCALE applications for multimodal transportation projects. The CSPDC, HRMPO and SAWMPO, the cities of Harrisonburg and Waynesboro, and Augusta and Rockingham Counties submitted projects ranging from new sidewalk construction to interstate interchange improvements. VDOT will announce application awards in early 2023.
SMART SCALE is VDOT’s main competitive grant funding program that evaluates and scores projects based on how projects improve safety, reduce congestion, increase accessibility, contribute to economic development, promote efficient land use, and affect the environment.

Shenandoah Valley Regional Airport Breaks Ground on New Hangars

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The Shenandoah Valley Regional Airport recently broke ground on a long-envisioned hangar project in its Aviation Technology Park. Two 14,000 square foot corporate aircraft hangars will be constructed with office and aviation flex space. The groundbreaking event on July 27 celebrated the start of the project and recognized the project’s partners including two federal agencies involved in its funding, USDA Rural Development and the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA). The Shenandoah Valley Regional Airport Commission was awarded a $2 million grant from EDA for the project. The project is expected to create up to 75 high-paying jobs in the aviation technology and aviation maintenance sectors. The CSPDC was instrumental in helping the Shenandoah Valley Regional Airport apply for EDA funding and is providing grant administration services for the hangar project.

HRMPO Launches Long Range Plan Survey on Proposed Projects

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The Harrisonburg Rockingham Metropolitan Planning Organization’s (HRMPO) 2045 Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP) will create an effective framework to address current and future community needs.

HRMPO, which is staffed by CSPDC, is in the process of developing the 2045 Plan, and is offering virtual and in-person opportunities to get involved. Phase 2 of the Plan is focused on gathering feedback on a list of proposed transportation projects, known as the draft Universe of Projects.

Projects on the list were checked against public input as well as regional and statewide data sources to determine whether they met defined transportation needs, and align with the community’s vision, as identified through the Phase 1 Visioning Survey.

Community members are invited to share feedback on the draft Universe of Projects through September 16, 2022. You can:

  • Explore the interactive map and leave feedback on specific projects via Metroquest
  • Register for and participate in our webinar on August 16 at 7 p.m.
  • Drop by one of our open house community meetings
    • August 18 from 4 p.m. – 6 p.m. at Lucy F. Simms Community Center
    • August 31 from 4 p.m. – 6 p.m. at Turner Ashby High School

Feedback on the draft Universe of Projects will be used to identify which projects will be included in the final Plan, guiding transportation investments over the next 25 years to support the needs of the region and its future growth.

Visit hrvampo.org/lrtp for more information and to sign up to receive email updates on the LRTP.

CSPDC Staff Helps “Stuff The Bus”

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On Fridays, for a small charitable donation, CSPDC employees are allowed to wear jeans to work. Throughout the year, “jeans money” is used to help those in need in our region and beyond. Every August, staff use some of this money to buy school supplies to help the United Way “Stuff The Bus”. This year the CSPDC dropped their school supply donation off at the Shenandoah Valley Regional Airport, a new collection point this year. CSPSDC staff enjoy seeing their “Casual Fridays” help children start the school year off with everything they need.