Grant Awarded For Regional Wildfire Protection Plan

Posted on February 17, 2017March 20, 2017 by host

Rocky Mtn. Fire - night photo 6 - 4.19.16 by Bob Adamek

Rocky Mtn. Fire. Photo by Bob Adamek

The CSPDC has received grant funds from the Virginia Department of Emergency Management through the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Pre-disaster Mitigation Grant Program to complete a regional Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP).

CWPPs cover such issues as wildfire response, hazard mitigation, community preparedness, and structural protection. Previously, the CSPDC assisted Augusta County with completing a CWPP. This new CWPP will take a regional approach, with all 21 jurisdictions within the Central Shenandoah Region eligible to participate. The planning process will take place over the next 18 months.

Public input will be an integral part of creating the regional CWPP, and will be solicited through open houses, an on-line survey, and community outreach. When completed, the CWPP will be incorporated into the Central Shenandoah All Hazards Mitigation Plan.

Farm2Fork Affair Set for March 6

Posted on February 17, 2017March 15, 2017 by host

The Northern Shenandoah Valley Farm2Fork Affair on March 6, 2017 in Luray, Virginia, will connect regional agricultural producers and large-scale consumers in a trade show expo. John Hoffman the Executive Chef of Keswick Hall will deliver the keynote address to an audience expected to include producers and hundreds of restaurateurs, retailers, grocers, hoteliers, and innkeepers from the Shenandoah Valley region, Charlottesville, Washington D.C., Northern Virginia, and West Virginia.

Prior to the event, a Farm2Fork Ready! Workshop will be provided for those producers showcasing their products at the expo. This workshop is designed to provide guidance on creating a professional presentation and developing working relationships with potential clients.

For more information, please visit www.Farm2ForkAffairNSV.com

CSPDC Welcomes New Staff Members

Posted on February 17, 2017March 20, 2017 by host

We are pleased to welcome planners Jonathan Howard, Tracy Hibbitts, and Liza Vick to the CSPDC team.

Jonathan, who was hired as a transportation planner, is a Navy veteran and former VDOT employee. He will be involved in many of the CSPDC’s transportation programs including MPO projects, the Rural Transportation program and corridor studies.

As a regional planner, Tracy will be working on a number of community development projects including Braiding the Way for Outdoor Recreation in the Rockbridge Area and Greenhouse Village Housing project in Rockbridge County. For the past eight years, Tracy worked for the Virginia Outdoors Foundation as a Stewardship Specialist.

In her role as regional planner, Liza will work on environmental and natural resource projects such as storm water management, water supply planning and solid waste management and recycling. She most recently worked for the City of Waynesboro in their Public Works Department.

SMART SCALE Projects Recommended for Funding

Posted on February 17, 2017February 17, 2017 by host

The Commonwealth Transportation Commission released its preliminary funding scenario for the FY 2018 SMART SCALE cycle. Ten applications submitted from within the Central Shenandoah Planning District Commission region were recommended for funding. Next steps for the funding of these projects include public meetings and opportunities for comment in the Spring of 2017.

Weldon Cooper Releases 2016 Population Data

Posted on February 17, 2017February 17, 2017 by host

The University of Virginia’s Weldon Cooper Center has released the 2016 official population estimates for Virginia and its counties and independent cities. Data shows trends toward population growth concentrated to urban areas and an aging population. Specific locality and regional population data is available on the Weldon Cooper Center website and on the CSPDC’s Regional Data Center.

New CSPDC Board Members Appointed

Posted on February 17, 2017February 17, 2017 by host

Mr. William Kyger was appointed to the CSPDC Commission to represent Rockingham County. He replaces Mr. Rick Chandler who has served since January 2014. Mr. Kyger has previously served on the Commission and we would like to welcome him back.

Mr. George Hirschmann was appointed as the City of Harrisonburg’s new representative to the CSPDC. He replaces Mr. Abe Shearer who has served since June 2014.

Ms. Vickie Moran was appointed as Augusta County’s new representative to the CSPDC. She replaces Mr. Joe Colvin who has served since March 2011. Ms. Moran also serves on Craigsville Town Council.

VAPDC Holds Annual Winter Conference

Posted on February 17, 2017February 17, 2017 by host

“Facilitating Collaboration in Virginia’s Diverse Regions” was the theme of this year’s Virginia Association of Planning District Commissions winter conference in Richmond on February 2-3. Dr. Quentin Kidd, Vice Provost and Professor of Political Science at Christopher Newport University, provided the keynote at the Awards Banquet.

New City Planners in the Region

Posted on February 17, 2017February 17, 2017 by host

Be sure to congratulate Rodney Rhodes, Staunton’s new Senior Planner, and Luke Juday, Waynesboro’s new Director of Planning on their new positions! Both Rhodes and Juday will serve on the Staunton Augusta Waynesboro MPO Technical Advisory Committee.

VTrans Multimodal Transportation Plan Open House – February 15, 2017, 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Posted on January 27, 2017February 17, 2017 by host

VTrans is the Commonwealth’s long-range transportation plan. The Virginia Multimodal Transportation Plan (VMTP) is the short-range component of the plan and details transportation needs and recommendations through 2025. Virginia is developing statewide multimodal transportation recommendations and your input is needed!

The Virginia Office of Intermodal Planning and Investment (OIPI), alongside local stakeholders, has developed draft recommendations for the VTrans Multimodal Transportation Plan (VMTP). The VMTP2025 Needs for Corridors of Statewide Significance (CoSS), Regional Networks, and Urban Development Areas (UDAs) were developed in 2015. These 2025 Needs were consolidated across different travel markets and divided into three tiers. The 2025 draft project recommendations for the Tier 1 Needs have been developed. These draft recommendations will be available for review and discussion at an Open House on Wednesday, February 15th, from 4:00-6:00 p.m., at the Regional Transit Facility, 51 Ivy Ridge Lane, Fishersville, Virginia.

This Open House will be an important opportunity to share your input on these strategic investment recommendations.

If you have any questions, please contact Shana Johnson, sjohnson@foursquareitp.com, or to learn more about VTrans, please see www.vtrans2040.com.

DHCD Offers How-to-Apply Workshops During January

Posted on January 17, 2017January 17, 2017 by host

Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) will soon be accepting applications for the Building Collaborative Communities (BCC), Industrial Revitalization Fund (IRF), Building Entrepreneurial Economies (BEE), Community Business Launch (CBL) and Virginia Individual Development Account (VIDA) programs for fiscal year 2017-2018.

DHCD will be conducting How-to-Apply Workshops for these programs throughout the state during the month of January. During these sessions, DHCD staff will offer a review of each program’s design, funding availability, and application process. Click here for more information.