The Virginia Department of Emergency Management received $3,017,393 in pre and post-disaster mitigation grants from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. A portion of the awarded funds will go to the CSPDC to update the Central Shenandoah Valley All Hazards Mitigation Plan. The total cost of the Plan update is $101,385. FEMA will provide 75%, the State will provide 20%, and the CSPDC will provide the remaining 5% of the matched funds.

The Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000 (DMA2K) requires that local governments develop and adopt Hazard Mitigation Plans that are updated every five years in order to receive hazard mitigation grant funds. The updated Central Shenandoah Valley All Hazards Mitigation Plan, originally approved in 2006 and last updated in 2013, is now anticipated to be adopted by the 21 jurisdictions in the Central Shenandoah Planning District in the winter of 2020. The planning process will kick off this month at a meeting of appointed representatives of each of the jurisdictions and other interested organizations and stakeholders.

When Planning Districts formed in 1969, the highway system in the central Shenandoah Valley was just beginning to resemble what we know today. The last segment of Interstate 81 to be constructed in the CSPDC region, from Stuarts Draft to Harrisonburg, opened that same year. Interstate 64 from Staunton to Afton Mountain was completed shortly after in 1971. The completion of the interstate network brought the expansion of highway trucking that transformed the national economy, and set in motion a trend that is still being concentrated on today.

With the region’s increase in population and industry along the spines of I-81 and I-64, the CSPDC created its first Transportation Planning Program in 1971. This established a two-year plan to inventory and analyze the transportation network, and develop recommendations for new projects.

Over the last 50 years, the CSPDC region has evolved from being mostly rural, dotted with small cities and towns, to a region with two metropolitan planning areas, seven institutions of higher learning, two regional medical centers, three public transit systems, and a busy regional airport. The PDC has worked with the state and localities to develop corridor and access management plans, write grant applications for bicycle and pedestrian facilities, develop regional long range plans, and is still the only Planning District to form and administer two Metropolitan Planning Organizations and operate a public transit system. Today the region’s transportation investments are multi-modal, but still focus on the goals of improving safety, supporting economic development, and ensuring access to jobs and services.

Would you like to help your neighbors and community in an emergency?
CERT training being offered this Spring. Sign up now!

Staunton, Waynesboro, and Augusta County in partnership with the Central Shenandoah Planning District Commission will be offering Community Emergency Response Training (CERT) on Thursday evenings at 6:30 p.m. from April 11 – May 23. The course will be held at the Central Shenandoah Planning District Commission office in Staunton.

This seven-week course uses a standard curriculum designed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and teaches basic skills in disaster preparedness, fire safety, first aid, terrorism awareness, disaster psychology, and search & rescue. The CERT course is designed to give the average person tools to prepare themselves and their family during severe weather or other emergencies when emergency personnel are overwhelmed and may not be able to respond immediately. The course is open to anyone who either lives or works in Staunton, Waynesboro, or Augusta County. The course is free and all materials are provided. Pre-registration no later than April 5 is required. To pre-register for the course contact Rebecca Joyce, CERT Coordinator by email at rebecca@cspdc.org. or by telephone at 540-885-5174 ext. 112.

Agritourism entrepreneurs, economic development staff, and local government leaders will gather for the fifth annual Virginia Agritourism Conference on April 3 and 4 in Roanoke, Virginia. The Conference will provide resources, networking opportunities, and new ideas for agritourism entrepreneurs to enhance their business. This year topics will include developing an agritourism operation, managing the challenges of agritourism, delivering exceptional customer service, marketing, ensuring farm safety, hosting events, building a regional approach, and networking. Participants will also have the opportunity to tour local agritourism venues.

Town mayors, trail advocates, and state, regional and local government staff gathered in Woodstock, Virginia on February 22 to create a vision for a 36-mile trail that would link eight towns following a discontinued rail line between the Town of Strasburg in Shenandoah County and the Town of Broadway in Rockingham County. Citizens from the Town of Woodstock incubated the idea and hosted the Summit. Attendees evaluated the economic feasibility of the trail, and discussed ways to expand local and state government support for the project. The CSPDC is partnering with neighboring regional commission, Northern Shenandoah Valley Regional Commission, to support the effort.