News
Staunton-Augusta-Waynesboro Housing Summit Set
In partnership with the Community Foundation of the Central Blue Ridge, Augusta Health, Valley Community Services Board, and Valley Homeless Connection, the CSPDC is pleased to announce the Staunton-Augusta-Waynesboro (SAW) Housing Summit. The event will be held on October 11th & 12th at the Holiday Inn & Conference Center in Staunton.
The SAW Housing Summit is a result of collaborative work across numerous organizations in the SAW region since March 2020. This coalition of organizations joined together to disburse critical funding and resources to underserved communities during the COVID-19 pandemic, including those experiencing housing insecurity. As the short-term impacts of the pandemic began to lessen, the group turned their attention toward our region’s more persistent housing challenges that remained, from addressing homelessness to providing accessible housing to our local workforce. The Summit will culminate the work that has taken place and provide a forum for planning to address our regional housing issues into the future.
The Summit will take place over the course of a day and a half, and will incorporate a variety of speakers, facilitated discussions, and brainstorming sessions. It will conclude with an action-focused facilitated discussion on Day 2 to chart a path forward.
For more information on the SAW Housing Summit and to submit your e-mail for future correspondence, visit www.sawhousing.com.
Region 8 Council Approves Projects
At its meeting on July 25 at the Shihadeh Innovation Center in Winchester, the Region 8 Council approved two applications for funding. The Shenandoah Valley Center for Advanced Learning (SVCAL) requested $884,500 in GO Virginia funding to address skill and employment gaps in the manufacturing and transportation sectors in the region. Funds will be used to make significant updates to replace outdated training equipment and to support the addition of new programs specifically aviation technology, industrial maintenance, and heavy equipment. Local contributions for facility renovations and industry partner resources for work-based learning, internships, and apprenticeship training, along with the requested GO Virginia funds will be used to create a reimagined and state-of-the art regional training center at the Valley Technical and Career Center in Fishersville.
The Region 8 Council also approved a $100,000 Enhanced Capacity Building grant application for the Winchester Airport. Funds will be used to analyze a 27-acre tract of land owned by the Winchester Regional Airport Authority and zoned for aeronautical use acre. The land is capable of accommodating a wide range of aviation uses, including aircraft manufacturing and is the most valuable asset to the business development strategy of the airport.
The State GO Virginia Board will consider these two applications at its September meeting.
Other news and information about GO Virginia Region 8 is available at https://govirginiaregion8.org/
Southeast Crescent Regional Commission Established
Established as a federal-state partnership by the 2008 Farm Bill, Southeast Crescent Regional Commission (SCRC) was authorized to begin operating with the confirmation of a Federal Co-Chair in December 2021. The purpose of the SCRC is to build sustainable communities and promote economic growth across a seven- state region – Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia. SCRC will receive annual appropriations from Congress to invest in economic and infrastructure development projects that reduce the effects of persistent poverty, unemployment and outmigration.
The program mirrors the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC). The CSPDC will act as the local administrator of the program and provide technical assistance to the SCRC – eligible communities in our PDC: Augusta, Staunton, Waynesboro, Rockingham, and Harrisonburg. To learn more about SCRC please go to: www.scrc.gov
Afton Express Featured on Virginia Public Radio
This past spring, Virginia Public Radio reached out to the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT) and the CSPDC to develop a feature story on the Afton Express as part of a series about how CARES funds have been used across the Commonwealth.
RadioIQ reporter Mallory Noe-Payne traveled to Fishersville in April to ride the Afton Express, talk to staff, and interview passengers. Paula Melester, a Regional Planner for the CSPDC, joined Mallory on her round-trip ride over the mountain. Along the ride, several passengers shared their personal experiences with the Afton Express and how this service has contributed to the quality of their commute. Their stories are captured in this radio segment.
DRPT’s Director of Rail and Public Transportation, Jennifer DeBruhl is also interviewed. Funding for the Afton Express through FY23 was provided by DRPT through a demonstration grant, partially supported by CARES Act funds. Director DeBruhl says that using these funds to help launch the Afton Express was a “no brainer”, as the service connects workers in the Shenandoah Valley to the Hospital System at the University of Virginia. During the pandemic, the service offered a transportation option for essential workers.
The story aired on Virginia Public Radio on June 21 and was shared on the WVTF/RadioIQ website. You can read or listen to the story here.
CSPDC Receives Housing Grants
In July, the CSPDC received notice of two grant awards from Virginia Housing. Collectively, these grants bring $1,725,000 in housing funds to the region. The CSPDC received an allocation of $1.7 million in funds through Virginia Housing’s Sponsoring Partnerships & Revitalizing Communities (SPARC) Program, a special allocation of reduced rate funding which provides a 1% adjustment to interest rates below Virginia Housing’s prevailing home loan rates. These funds will be used to complement the CSPDC’s existing First Time Homebuyer Program, which provides down payment and closing cost assistance to income-qualified homebuyers at 80% AMI or below. The CSPDC is currently completing initial program development activities with Virginia Housing and will begin outreach to Virginia Housing approved lenders in the coming month.
Additionally, the CSPDC received a $15,000 Community Impact Grant to conduct a Preliminary Architecture Report for a key property in Downtown Monterey. The building is the former home of the Highland Recorder Newspaper, and the property owner is partnering with the CSPDC, Highland County EDA, and Monterey town officials to assess potential future residential use. The study will kick off in August, and its findings will be used to determine best next steps for future re-development of the site for housing opportunities.