More than one hundred newly designed BRITE bus stop signs will be installed throughout Staunton, Augusta County and Waynesboro in early 2017. The signs were developed with data collected from a bus stop inventory and feature a design created by the BRITE Transit Advisory Committee. CSPDC staff met with local sign makers and locality staff to discuss the most efficient process for production, as well as to finalize bus stop names and locations prior to collecting quotes and selecting a project vendor.
Category Archives: News
2017 Virginia Agritourism Conference Set for April
Three days filled with fresh ideas on a variety of hot topics are on tap at the 2017 Virginia Agritourism Conference, set for April 18-20, 2017, in Richmond. Topics include building your agritourism business, marketing, event planning and social media, as well as financing, labor and legal “stuff.” Dr. Basil Gooden, Secretary of Agriculture and Dr. Vincent Magnini, Virginia Tech, will be there to present the Economic Impact of Agritourism in Virginia. Tours of local farms, breweries, and farm-to-table eateries are also part of the conference.
Learn more about the conference and register on-line by visiting
Bike the Valley Goes to Canada
Five hundred Bike the Valley brochures were mailed to Canada as part of Virginia Tourism Corporation’s (VTC) international marketing program. VTC maintains a tourism office in Toronto and Quebec where they promote Virginia to the Canadian market. The Shenandoah Valley is a popular cycling destination for Canadian tourists who seek the milder climates and scenic landscape. The Bike the Valley rack cards are designed to direct visitors to the Bike the Valley website,www.bikethevalley.org, where they can find over 50 bicycle route maps, bicycle events and bicycling resources throughout the Central Shenandoah Valley.
Community Emergency Response Training Begins in March
Staunton, Waynesboro, and Augusta County, in partnership with CSPDC, will be offering Community Emergency Response Training (CERT). Two courses will be offered, with an evening option on Wednesdays at 6:30 p.m. starting March 22nd and a morning course on Thursdays at 9:00 a.m. starting March 23rd. The training will be held at the CSPDC office in Staunton.
This nine-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 lives or works in Staunton, Waynesboro, or Augusta County. The course is free and all materials are provided. Participants must pre-register no later than March 17, 2017, by contacting CERT Coordinator Rebecca Joyce, at 540-885-5174 or by email at rebecca@cspdc.org.
Grants Available for Dam and Floodplain Projects
The Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) has announced that $1.2 million dollars in grant funds are available through the Virginia Dam Safety, Flood Prevention and Protection Assistance Fund. The Fund is managed by the Virginia Resources Authority on behalf of DCR. Eligible projects through the Fund include dam safety projects for local governments and private entities that own existing regulated dams and flood prevention and protection projects for local communities that participate in the National Flood Insurance Program. The grants provided through the Fund are reimbursements and require a 50% match. Grant applications are due by 4:00 p.m. on March 31, 2017.
Braiding the Way Releases Community Survey
Braiding the Way for Outdoor Recreation in the Rockbridge Area is conducting an online survey as part of the process for developing a Master Outdoor Recreation Plan for the region. The survey is open to both residents and visitors and asks participants to share information on their involvement in outdoor recreation activities, spending and demographic information. The data from the survey results will be used to conduct an economic impact analysis report.
To take the survey, please click here:
The survey will remain open until July 31, 2017.
Grant Awarded For Regional Wildfire Protection Plan
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
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
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
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.