May is National Bike Month, an annual celebration that increases awareness and participation in bicycling as a healthy, economic, and sustainable transportation option. The CSPDC and its Rideshare Program are assisting the City of Staunton and Harrisonburg’s Shenandoah Valley Bicycle Coalition with events and activities on Bike to Work Day, May 19^th. The Staunton Bike/Walk to Work Commuter Breakfast  will be held downtown at the Wharf parking lot from 7:30 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. Harrisonburg’s event will be at Court Square in downtown Harrisonburg from 7:00 a.m. until 10:00 a.m. Both events are free!

Visit Bike the Valley and Shenandoah Valley Bicycle Coalition for updates on activities being held throughout May in addition to Bike to Work Day including: Confident City Cycling Class, Glowstick Ride on the Bluestone Trail, and the annual Bike, Run, Sweat and Beers ride.

Earlier this year, a Proposal Analysis Group reviewed and scored proposals submitted by three firms interested in providing turnkey operation of the BRITE transit services.  On March 15^th, the CSPDC published notice to enter into contract with Virginia Regional Transit as the transit provider for the BRITE system.  The resulting contract for an initial five-year period will be effective July 1, 2017 and will provide transit service in the Staunton, Augusta County and Waynesboro area.  The BRITE transit system includes routes to Blue Ridge Community College, Stuarts Draft, Augusta Health, Wilson Workforce and Rehabilitation Center and throughout the cities of Staunton and Waynesboro.

Craigsville Community Strong Steering Committee

Through the support of the CSPDC’s Community Strong Program, the town of Craigsville is developing an action plan that will set priorities, identify partnerships, strategies, and funding possibilities, and guide the town and its leaders in making community and economic development decisions.

The Community Strong Program is expected to take eight months to complete, and during this time the CSPDC will work closely with the town and a project committee to provide facilitation, staff support, technical assistance, and resources.

The CSPDC’s Community Strong Program is supported by a Rural Community Development Initiative grant through the U.S. Department of Agriculture and provides small towns and rural communities with tools to identify and address community and economic development needs.

To date, Community Strong projects have been completed in Glasgow and Goshen.

Braiding the Way for Outdoor Recreation in the Rockbridge Area is in the process of developing a Master Outdoor Recreation and Trail Plan for the Rockbridge, Buena Vista, Lexington area.  The Steering Committee has chosen a design logo for the project.  The logo, in the shape of Rockbridge County, uses a colorful braided pattern to represent the greenways, blueways, bikeways and walkways of the area.  The logo will be used to market the area as an outdoor recreation destination.

Liza Vick (CSPDC), Dave Hirschman (Hirschman Water & Environment, LLC), and Devin Floyd (Center for Urban Habitats, LLC) recently teamed up to complete an assessment to identify environmentally sensitive areas on the James Madison University campus as part of the  biodiversity component of JMU’s Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS) program. Field work was completed in three specific areas: Edith J. Carrier Arboretum, JMU Farm, and the riparian area near the golf course. The STARS program is a way for colleges and universities to measure their sustainability performance.