In preparation for Hurricane Season starting June 1 and running through November 30, the National Weather Service hosts the annual Hurricane Preparedness Week – an awareness and preparedness outreach campaign.

In the Central Shenandoah Region, many of the most devastating floods have come from tropical hurricane systems. To help stay prepared: determine your risk, develop an evacuation plan, assemble disaster supplies, get a property insurance check-up, strengthen your home, help your neighbor get prepared, and complete a written plan. It only takes one storm to change your life and your community.

On April 17, the State GO Virginia Board approved funding for the Scale-up the Valley program coordinated by the Shenandoah Valley Partnership (SVP). The project will utilize the expertise and resources of the National Center for Economic Gardening (National Center) to provide region-wide business support services to traded-sector companies. SVP will match the GO Virginia grant on a per-company enrollment basis and will have 50% of the contract cost reimbursed by the company’s respective locality. Approximately 20 companies (10 each year) are expected to be served by the National Center over two years, beginning in May, 2020.

GO Virginia supports programs to create more high-paying jobs through incentivized collaboration between business, education, and government to diversify and strengthen the economy in every region of the Commonwealth. The program is administered through the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development. The CSPDC is one of the support organizations for GO Virginia Region 8.

Every two years, applicants in our region submit applications in SMART SCALE, which funds up to 100% of a transportation project’s cost through a competitive scoring process. CSPDC partnered with multiple local governments to submit a record 17 SMART SCALE pre-applications on April 17, 2020. The CSPDC, SAWMPO, and BRITE Transit each submitted four pre-applications. HRMPO submitted five. VDOT and DRPT will review the pre-applications in April and May. During June and July, CSPDC and local staff will develop full applications for the projects green-lighted to proceed from the pre-application phase.

Final applications submitted in August will be reviewed by VDOT and DRPT staff in late 2020, with project awards announced in early 2021.

May is National Bike Month – an annual celebration to increase awareness and participation in bicycling, and showcase its many health and environmental benefits. The most popular day of Bike Month, Bike to Work Day, has been rescheduled to September 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Bike the Valley and RideShare programs, administered by the CSPDC, have created a digital social media campaign to bring public awareness to bicycling in our region. The campaign will be featured throughout the month in addition to important public safety reminders associated with cycling and outdoor activities.

BARC Connects has opened up wireless hotspots at four different Rockbridge County Public School parking lots: Mountain View Elementary, Fairfield Elementary, Natural Bridge Elementary, and Rockbridge County High School. BARC’s intent is to offer Internet access at convenient points across the county. Students and parents can practice social distancing by accessing the Internet in the safety of their own vehicle in the parking lot of any of these schools.

On March 18, 2020 the Watershed Implementation Plan (WIP) stakeholder meeting was conducted by conference call to discuss the CSPDC’s scope of work for 2020, specific deliverables, WIP education materials, and BMP trainings and funding opportunities. Participants included representatives from CSPDC localities, the VA Department of Environmental Quality, Soil & Water Conservation Districts, the Valley Conservation Council, Rockbridge Area Conservation Council, and members of the public. The meeting summary is posted on the CSPDC’s WIP III webpage, along with the 2020 scope of work and other project resources.

During this uncertain time, people in our region are coming together and doing great things for their neighbors and communities. For the first time, many Fields of Gold member restaurants, farms, and producers are offering curb-side service/pick-up, at-home delivery, and online ordering to help contain the spread of COVID-19. Here are just a few businesses in our region offering these unique services: Friendly City Co-op, Joshua Wilton House, Stuarts Draft Farm Market, Lundch, The Shack, Southern Inn Restaurant, A Bowl of Good, and Whites Wayside.

Also, in response to the 62nd Highland County Maple Festival being canceled, many sugar farms such as Back Creek Farm and Laurel Fork Sapsuckers, are selling their maple syrup products online. Visit their individual websites to not miss out on Highland County maple syrup this year!