News
Harrisonburg Awarded RAISE Grant
The US Department of Transportation awarded the City of Harrisonburg a $14,368,180 RAISE Grant to convert one driving lane of US-11 (Liberty Street and Noll Drive) to a two-way separated bicycle facility between the intersections of Main Street and Noll Drive, and Grattan Street and Liberty Street. The grant will also construct a shared-use path along Main Street between Grattan Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Way.
The new bicycle and pedestrian facilities are anticipated to increase bicycling and walking in the City, supporting Harrisonburg’s environmental sustainability, mobility, community connectivity, and economic development goals.
Harrisonburg is in the process of getting under contract with US DOT. All funds must be expended by 2032. For more information about this project, view this City of Harrisonburg News Release.
Bath-Highland Network Authority Public Notice Meeting
On July 10th, 2023, at 1:00 p.m., the Bath-Highland Network Authority will hold a meeting at the Bolar Ruritan Club, 38 Bolar Ln Monterey, VA 24465. For more information about the meeting, please contact Ms. Hunter Moore at 540-885-5174 or hunter@cspdc.org.
CSPDC Receives $100,000 Grant to Help Appalachian Communities Access More Federal Funds
This award will help the CSPDC expand technical assistance for its ARC communities of Bath, Highland, Rockbridge, Buena Vista, and Lexington seeking federal funding.
The Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC), in partnership with the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development, recently announced the award of nearly $2.5 million in funding to 26 Local Development Districts (LDDs) in nine Appalachian states. The Central Shenandoah Planning District Commission (CSPDC) received $100,000 and was one of six awards in Virginia. The award will help expand CSPDC staffing capacity to better support eligible localities throughout the region in identifying, accessing, and implementing federal funding through American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), and other funding sources.
The Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) is a regional economic development agency representing a unique partnership of federal, state, and local government. Established by an act of Congress in 1965, ARC is composed of the governors of the 13 Appalachian states and a federal co‐chair, who is appointed by the president. Local participation is provided through multi‐county Local Development Districts (LDDs) with support from community, business, and civic leaders. Each year Congress appropriates funds for ARC programs, which ARC allocates among its member states for economic development programs such as a safe and efficient highway system; education, job‐training, and health care programs; water and sewer systems; and entrepreneurial and capital market development.
The Central Shenandoah Planning District Commission (CSPDC) has served as the Local Development District (LDD) since 1980. Located in the heart of the Shenandoah Valley, this LDD includes five ARC communities: Bath County, Highland County, Rockbridge County, City of Buena Vista, and City of Lexington. There are also three incorporated towns in the district: Glasgow, Goshen, and Monterey.
The grant award comes through READY LDDs, one of four key economic development tracks that make up READY Appalachia, ARC’s new community-capacity building initiative. The program offers free training and flexible funding for nonprofit organizations, community foundations, local governments, and LDDs located in the Appalachian Region.
“ARC remains committed to working with our partners in our Local Development Districts to build parity throughout all of Appalachia, and this latest round of funding will augment the work these Local Development Districts are doing to help their communities utilize unprecedented amounts of federal funding across the region,” said ARC Federal Co-Chair Gayle Manchin.
“This award will greatly assist the CSPDC in helping our localities identify and obtain federal funds that will be invaluable to our communities, business, and citizens as we recover from the lingering impacts of the pandemic,” said David Blanchard, CSPDC chair and Highland County supervisor.
Discover Transit in June
BRITE Bus and the Afton Express are joining the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT) in celebrating transit during the month of June. The “Discover Transit” campaign sponsored by DRPT runs from mid-April to June 2023 and highlights the many public transit options riders have throughout the Commonwealth. Locally, we are proud to promote our very own BRITE Bus system which serves the cities of Staunton and Waynesboro, and Augusta County, with a small footprint in southern Rockingham County and the city of Harrisonburg by way of the Blue Ridge Community College Shuttle. Also in the Staunton, Augusta, and Waynesboro region is the Afton Express – our commuter bus connecting the valley with Charlottesville and Albemarle County via the I-64 corridor.
Discover Transit encourages Virginia residents to return to transit or try transit for the first time. It focuses on the community connection that transit creates. Here in the Staunton-Augusta-Waynesboro (SAW) region, BRITE Bus connects residents to their most important destinations. With eight different routes, BRITE Bus regularly helps people get to work, essential appointments, and to run errands. In addition to these fixed routes, BRITE also offers ADA Paratransit Service for individuals with disabilities that prevent them from accessing the standard fixed-route bus stops.
BRITE Transit and the Afton Express are running a fare-free promotion on Wednesday, June 21st in celebration of this campaign. In addition to BRITE Bus, there are a number of transit options throughout the CSPDC region. We encourage you to try one of these services during the month of June! Visit the following transit agency websites below to learn how public transit can get you where you need to go.
Harrisonburg Dept. of Public Transportation (Harrisonburg & James Madison University)
BRITE Bus (Staunton, Waynesboro, Augusta County, and parts of southern Rockingham County)
Afton Express (Staunton, Waynesboro, and Augusta County)
Rockbridge Area Transportation System (Rockbridge, Alleghany, and Bath Counties)
RADAR (Buena Vista, Lexington, and Rockbridge County)
You can also visit https://connectingva.drpt.virginia.gov/ to view all public transportation options statewide.
Shenandoah Rail Trail Partnership Holds Ten Community Meetings
Between February and April 2023, the Shenandoah Rail Trail Rail Partnership conducted a series of ten community meetings to inform and engage the public about the Shenandoah Rail Trail. The proposed trail would convert an unused rail corridor between Broadway and Front Royal into a 48.5-mile multi-use trail running through nine towns, three counties, and near numerous schools, businesses and cultural resources. There is enthusiasm and momentum for the Shenandoah Rail Trail as the Partnership moves forward to the next phase of the project, which includes acquiring the rail corridor, continuing to talk with trail neighbors, and starting the preliminary trail design. The Partnership will hold its annual meeting in June, 2023 to share updates and maintain enthusiasm and momentum as the project moves into its next important phase.