News
Senator Warner Visits Region
Senator Mark Warner visited the region Friday, July 15, and made a stop at the BRITE Transit Facility in Fishersville. The Shenandoah Valley Infrastructure Discussion event highlighted the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the positive impacts of the subsequent five-year funding for transportation through the new law. Additionally, Senator Warner applauded the work and effort of BRITE for providing an essential service to the community. “I think the BRITE system that services your communities here in central Virginia, is probably if not the most successful, one of the most successful transit systems in a rural community all across the Commonwealth,” said Senator Warner. The Senator also hosted a question-and-answer session for event attendees.
CSPDC Forms Housing Study Leadership Group
With the CSPDC Regional Housing Study well underway, CSPDC staff alongside the Virginia Center for Housing Research (VCHR) have partnered with stakeholders around the region to form a Leadership Team that will guide the housing study process. The Leadership Team will meet every two to three months throughout the study period, which ends Spring 2024. The group will serve as an advisory board for the study process, review report drafts and data findings, and guide the study’s eventual strategies and recommendations.
The first Leadership Team meeting was held on Wednesday, August 3rd, and more than 20 stakeholders representing local government, non-profits, lending agencies, realtors’ associations, housing authorities, economic development and workforce organizations, and community services boards were present. At the first meeting, participants previewed a preliminary housing data analysis for the region and discussed potential topics for further exploration. The housing study scope allows for the inclusion of up to five additional subtopics, which the leadership group will work to identify in the coming months. The leadership group explored subtopics such as an analysis of unsheltered/unhoused individuals, housing accessibility, housing conditions, the impact of the student population, and innovations in housing.
The Leadership Team will meet again on October 26th, and will review additional data findings as well as takeaways from focus groups and interviews taking place across the region.
TAP/DRPT Grants Approved
The Commonwealth Transportation Board (CTB) approved the FY 2023 Six Year Improvement Program (SYIP) at the June, 2022 meeting. The FY23 SYIP includes funding for seven Transportation Alternatives (TAP) projects around the region, as well as operating and capital grant funding for the public transit and human service transportation providers in the region. TAP grants will fund the construction of sidewalk, intersection, and greenway paths in Augusta County, Bridgewater, Buena Vista, Harrisonburg, and Waynesboro. The transit funding includes an additional year of demonstration grant funding for the Afton Express, allowing for an expansion of the route to serve 12-hour shift workers at the UVA Medical Center in Charlottesville.
HRMPO Public Engagement Process to Be Featured at National Conference
Director of Transportation and VAMPO Chair Ann Cundy will present at the National Association of MPOs (AMPO) Annual Conference in October, 2022. Ann will share the conference session with Chet Parsons, Director of Transportation for the Richmond Regional MPO, and Ashley Dobson, Director of Operations and Strategic Communications at Avid Core. The session will focus on post-pandemic public engagement strategies that MPOs of varying sizes can use for any planning process, but particularly on Long Range Transportation Plans. The HRMPO is currently developing the 2045 Long Range Transportation Plan with assistance from Kimley-Horn and Avid Core.
CERT Graduates Volunteers
On May 26, 2022 ten new volunteers graduated from the Staunton-Augusta-Waynesboro Community Emergency Response Team (S-A-W CERT)’s basic training course. CSPDC staff coordinates the S-A-W CERT program for Augusta County and the cities of Staunton and Waynesboro. The Spring 2022 basic training course was the first training offered since the COVID-19 Pandemic began in early 2020.
Since September 2003, the basic CERT course has been offered 39 times, training over 600 people in the Central Shenandoah Region. S-A-W CERT doesn’t just offer the Basic CERT training course; the program has more than 100 active volunteers who meet throughout the year for training, volunteer opportunities, and engagement activities. In June, S-A-W CERT members were excited to finally be able to meet in a large in-person group for the first time in over two years. The next basic CERT training course will start in September 2022. For additional information, please contact Rebecca Joyce at rebecca@cspdc.org or 540.885.5174 ext. 112.