The 2020 Shenandoah Valley Project Impact Preparedness Calendar will be available for pick-up in December at local government buildings and libraries across the region. This year, the calendar celebrates the 20th year of Shenandoah Valley Project Impact which began in 2000. The publication contains preparedness tips and mitigation strategies for dealing with severe weather, emergencies and disasters as well as historic photographs and fun holidays for each day of the year. Contact the CSPDC to obtain your copy.
Category Archives: News
Farmers Market Conference Held
The Virginia Farmers Market Association hosted their 7th annual Farmers Market Conference in Staunton at the Stonewall Jackson Hotel on November 13-15. This three-day event featured workshops, presentations, and social networking events including tours of Fields of Gold member farms – Project Grows, Overlook Farm and Bluestone Winery. This year’s theme focused on agritourism, a popular path for connecting customers to farmers and farmers markets. CSPDC Agritourism Coordinator, Rachel Salatin, presented on the Fields of Gold Farm Trail and participated as a vendor. In attendance were over 150 market managers, vendors, farmers, and agricultural leaders.
GO Virginia’s RAAMP Project Completed
Byers Technical Institute (BTI), a technical training center in Rockbridge County, partnered with the City of Buena Vista and the Rockbridge County Economic Development Authority to address the high demand for skilled welders throughout the Shenandoah Valley. In 2018, the Rockbridge Area Advanced Manufacturing Program (RAAMP) was awarded $100,000 in GO Virginia funds that were matched by the two localities and BTI with an additional $100,000. Funds were used to support instructors, purchase equipment and machinery, and modify and upgrade the building to expand BTI’s ability to enroll and train welders. As of September, 34 students have completed BTI’s welding program and are now employed by 13 different companies with an average annual starting salary at $46,179. BTI has had 100% job placement of their students. All grant activities are completed, but BTI will continue to track and report on jobs and salaries that result from this investment. Over the next 5-years this program is expected to graduate 72 welders.
The next project application deadline for GO Virginia Region 8 is December 13, 2019. Proposals submitted by this deadline will be presented to the Region 8 Council in January 2020. The CSPDC serves as a support organization for the GO Virginia Region 8 Council and provides grant administration for GO Virginia projects funded within the CSPDC.
Census Complete Count Committee Forms
The 2020 Census is right around the corner and local governments and communities across the U.S. are working to educate their citizens about the importance of completing the Census by forming Complete Count Committees (CCCs). CCCs are comprised of government and community leaders from education, business, healthcare, faith-based groups and other community organizations. The CSPDC is currently working with Staunton, Waynesboro and Augusta County to form the SAW CCC that will collaboratively use existing resources to teach citizens how to take the Census and why an accurate count helps to secure financial resources to provide essential services and crucial programs within the region.
A workshop to train organizations on how to “help folks take the Census,” will be held on December 4th at the BRITE Transit facility in Fishersville. For more information and to sign up for the training, contact Rebecca Joyce at the CSPDC.
Augusta County Supervisor Plants Fields of Gold
Augusta County farmer, Gerald Garber, planted 150 acres of his land surrounding the Shenandoah Valley Regional Airport in sunflowers to welcome travelers to the beautiful Shenandoah Valley. The sunflowers attract thousands of butterflies and were planted along with other crop cover plants to help fertilize the land on his Cave View Farm in Weyers Cave. Mr. Garber is the chair of the Augusta County Board of Supervisors, chair of the Shenandoah Valley Airport Commission and an ardent supporter of agribusiness in the region.
GO Virginia BRCC Cyber Security Graduates
Six graduates of Blue Ridge Community College’s GO Virginia cyber security training program have obtained positions with Tiber Creek Consulting, which is opening a new office in Waynesboro, VA, in the same building as BRCC’s Online Outpost. In addition, more students will participate in paid internships with Tiber Creek this fall. BRCC students will be performing cyber security assessments for federal contractors in Virginia as part of a $1.4 million Department of Defense grant awarded to GENEDGE Alliance.
The BRCC students received reduced-cost training from a GO Virginia grant awarded to BRCC in 2018. The goal of the grant is to train and employ 50 Tier I Cyber Security Analysts by July 2020, and to partner with local companies to offer in-demand, excellent-paying employment opportunities. The GO Virginia training program includes a security review course, CompTIA Security+ Exam, Cybrary online training, and on-the-job training, and takes approximately three months to complete.
Joint MPO Meeting Held
The Staunton-Augusta-Waynesboro Metropolitan Planning Organization (SAWMPO) held its 5th annual Joint Policy Board Meeting with the Charlottesville-Albemarle MPO on Tuesday, October 1, 2019 in Crozet. Board members and agency staff heard presentations on inter-regional transit, the restoration of the Crozet Blue Ridge Tunnel, state-wide transit updates from the Department of Rail and Public Transportation, and toured the Perrone Robotics facility and lab to learn more about the local company’s autonomous vehicle research and development.
SAWMPO and CA-MPO meet annually and share their planning processes under a Memorandum of Agreement for collaborative and inter-regional planning signed in September, 2017.
Afton Express Study Continues
The Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT) is advancing the planning for the Afton Express transit service proposed to connect Staunton, Augusta County, Waynesboro and Charlottesville. DRPT has contracted with Kimley-Horn to confirm the need and projected ridership for the service from the Feasibility Study completed in 2017, and to refine a service plan and budget, as well as developing performance metrics. A stakeholder group representing the CSPDC and TJPDC, local jurisdictions and the University of Virginia met on September 23 to hear from the consultant on the planning work completed thus far, and to discuss next steps, including a preliminary discussion related to funding. The consultant presented an update on the study at the Joint MPO meeting on October 1, and will meet again with the stakeholder group in mid-November.
CSPDC Submits Chesapeake WIP III Final Reports to DEQ
Last Spring, additional funding was granted by the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) to the CSPDC and 14 other Bay PDCs to continue the Phase III Watershed Implementation Plan (WIP III) efforts. The CSPDC held their third stakeholder meeting in August, 2019 to continue to develop regional Best Management Practices (BMP) project ideas and share funding opportunities. The CSPDC’s final WIP III reports were submitted to DEQ on September 30.
To meet the 2025 Chesapeake Bay Total Maximum Daily Load requirements, the Office of the Virginia Secretary of Natural Resources, through DEQ, released the Virginia’s Final Phase III Watershed Implementation Plan in August. The new PDC WIP III Implementation Assistance program with DEQ is anticipated to begin this Fall.
CSPDC Sub-Region Participates in Walkability Institute
The Buena Vista/Lexington team participating in the Virginia Walkability Action Institute (VWAI) presented its Action Plan to the Virginia Department of Health on August 12, 2019. The VWAI focuses on opportunities to enhance walkability in communities, and brings together multi-disciplinary teams to pursue policy, systems and environmental changes to increase physical activity and reduce chronic disease. The team’s Action Plan focuses on using community planning processes already underway, such as the Comprehensive Plan updates and sidewalk condition inventories, to identify the most critical infrastructure projects for improving opportunities to walk while strengthening existing community partnerships.
The Virginia Department of Health is providing up to $15,000 to each team for quick-start mini grant activities to implement the Action Plans. The Buena Vista/Lexington team is developing trail maps for Glen Maury Park and trail signage for the Riverwalk in Buena Vista, and purchasing FitBits and gym memberships for those participating in VDH-sponsored wellness programs.