News
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.
2022 Virginia Outdoors Survey Launched
The Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) has launched the 2022 Virginia Outdoors Survey. Survey findings will help shape the 2023 Virginia Outdoors Plan, a blueprint for the state’s future outdoor recreation programing and infrastructure that is updated every five years. Current Virginia residents are eligible to participate in the survey and responses are due by August 15. Click here to begin the survey.
The Virginia Outdoors Survey provides the opportunity to share your personal preferences and experiences when it comes to outdoor recreation. The survey is a key element of the Virginia Outdoors Plan. Survey responses inform regional recommendations and data, including the most-needed outdoor recreation opportunities and most popular recreation activities in the Central Shenandoah Region. Click here to view the 2018 Virginia Outdoors Plan.
Ag Innovation Center in Buena Vista Awarded ARC Grant
The Ag Innovation Center project, known as the Virginia Innovation Collective, will receive a $700,000 grant through the Appalachian Regional Commission’s (ARC) Area Development Assistance Program. On June 30, Governor Youngkin recommended the project as one of eighteen projects in Virginia for ARC Funding. The grant will support The Advancement Foundation’s redevelopment of a vacant manufacturing building in downtown Buena Vista into a multiuse, business incubation facility. More specifically, the ARC grant will fund the renovation of a commercial kitchen and ADA compliant entrances and restrooms. CSPDC staff provided grant writing assistance for the project. The Advancement Foundation is also the recipient of a GO Virginia grant, supporting entrepreneurial programming and staffing at the Ag Innovation Center.