The Staunton-Augusta-Waynesboro Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) is sponsoring a free showing and discussion of the film “We Heard the Bells: The Spanish Flu Pandemic of 1918,” on Tuesday, August 14th, 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. at Blue Ridge Community College, Plecker Center Auditorium (P104).

“We Heard the Bells,” narrated by actress S. Epatha Merkerson (Law & Order), explores the experiences of a diverse group of Americans during the influenza pandemic of 1918. Their memories frame the key questions that still drive the search for answers to help us weather future flu pandemics. Nancy Sorrells, local historian, will give a sneak peek from her upcoming presentation for the Augusta County Historical Society about how the 1918 pandemic affected us locally following the film.

Coordinated by the Central Shenandoah Planning District Commission (CSPDC), CERT trains citizens to protect themselves, family, and neighbors from disasters and emergencies. Begun in 2003, the seven-week regional course has trained more than 500 people with a standard curriculum designed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Training topics include disaster preparedness, fire safety, emergency medical operations, and terrorism awareness.  Once the basic training course is completed, CERT members have the opportunity to take advanced training courses that are offered several times a year, as well as volunteer in their communities.

To date, there are over 100 active volunteers in the Central Shenandoah Valley CERT program.  CERT volunteers have staffed emergency shelters, set-up a temporary pet shelter, and manned disaster preparedness informational booths at countless community events.  Dedicated CERT volunteers have spent an entire decade donating their time to making the Central Shenandoah Valley disaster resistant.

For additional information contact Rebecca Joyce at the CSPDC, at 540-885-5174 or rebecca@cspdc.org.

Bicycle and buggy access in Rockingham County and the Town of Dayton to be discussed.

Mix of school, recreation, and urban improvements will enhance nonmotorized travel options.

 STAUNTON (June 20, 2018) —The Central Shenandoah Planning District Commission (CSPDC) announced today that eleven Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP)/Safe Routes to School (SRTS) projects have been awarded funding for FY2019-2020. Projects include the City of Lexington’s plan to improve pedestrian access to Lylburn Downing Middle School; creation of a Bike Boulevard in the City of Harrisonburg; construction of a trail connecting two parks and the library in the Town of Bridgewater; and completion of the third phase of the City of Waynesboro’s South River Greenway.

TAP/SRTS helps fund community-based programs and projects that expand nonmotorized travel choices and enhance the transportation experience by improving the cultural, historical and environmental aspects of the transportation infrastructure. The program covers on- and off-street bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure projects (bike lanes, sidewalks, multi-use paths), as well as Safe Routes to School infrastructure projects.

“This year’s Transportation Alternatives Program/Safe Routes to School grant awards in the Central Shenandoah Planning District Commission (CSPDC) region are an excellent mix of alternative transportation improvements around schools, in cities, and throughout recreation areas. A well-rounded slate of projects like this is a great use of the TAP/Safe Routes program,” said Frank Friedman, chair of the CSPDC Board of Commissioners and Mayor of city of Lexington.

The TAP/SRTS projects were approved by the Commonwealth Transportation Board on June 20, 2018 as part of the FY2019-2024 Six-Year Improvement Program. A total of eleven Transportation Alternatives and Highway Safety Improvement Program projects totaling $2,553,900 from the CSPDC region were funded in the recently approved plan.

CSPDC staff assists member jurisdictions with grant writing, providing supporting resolutions, and coordinating application materials in each transportation planning cycle. For more information contact Ann Cundy, (540) 885-5174, ann@cspdc.org.

The Commonwealth will soon begin the Phase III Watershed Implementation Plan (WIP) to determine pollution control measures needed to fully restore the Chesapeake Bay and its tidal rivers to ensure they are in place no later than 2025. A major component of this process is the engagement of localities, Soil & Water Conservation Districts, and many other stakeholders in order to provide them with the opportunity to refine and identify best management practices and programmatic actions, at regional scales, that will meet local area planning goals. The CSPDC will be working in conjunction with Virginia Department of Environmental Quality to develop the District’s implementation of the Phase III WIP based on coordination with localities within the District. The development of the plan will begin in June 2018 and wrap-up in December 2018.

The GO Virginia State Board met on June 12 and approved  Region 8‘s proposal to fund a Cyber Security Workforce and Jobs Program. GO Virginia funding in the amount of $200,000 and matched with $200,000 in local funds will be used to develop a self-paced hands-on cyber security training program at Blue Ridge Community College. The goal of the program is to train and credential 50 Tier I cyber security analysts over a 2-year period. Graduates of the program will be placed in jobs that have an average wage of $54,000.