News
New Community Projects in Buena Vista
In February, the Virginia Outdoors Foundation awarded the City of Buena Vista a $78,000 grant to create a new public gathering place on the corner of 21st Street and Magnolia Avenue. Together the City and the ActionBV Committee (comprised of local citizens) plans to transform the site into a community Town Square, providing seating, bike racks, and outdoor recreation information. To promote the use of the Town Square site, ActionBV aided in the installation of a mural and hosted a public movie night in May.
The ActionBV Committee has also recently been accepted into the Citizens Institute on Rural Design’s (CIRD) cohort to begin redesigning and enhancing the entrance to Buena Vista’s River Walk. CIRD is a leadership initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts that empowers local citizens to use their unique artistic and cultural resources to guide local development.
Both projects support the revitalization of downtown and will create a more welcoming City for residents and visitors to enjoy. Community enhancement grant opportunities such as these are made available on the CSPDC Grant Resource Guide.
Logo for Rockbridge Outdoors
As part of their strategic plan update, Rockbridge Outdoors (previously Rockbridge Area Outdoor Partnership) has launched a new brand and logo featuring a compass and the area’s iconic House Mountain. The mission of Rockbridge Outdoors, a partnership of 44 organizations, is to collaboratively advance, create, and promote outdoor recreational opportunities in the Rockbridge Area. This new logo will help promote the Partnership’s efforts and will be used on trail signage and marketing materials. The strategic plan update will be finalized this summer and will outline the Rockbridge Outdoors’s priorities for the next five years. The CSPDC provides grant and administrative support to this organization and its efforts.
VAPDC Summer Series
The statewide Planning District Commission organization (VAPDC) is offering a four-part online Summer Series on June 8, June 29, July 27 and August 24. Topics include Housing Opportunities, 2021 Election Analysis, Federal Partnerships and Broadband Solutions. Registration is now open. Cost is $10 per session or $35 for all four in the series.
Senator Kaine Visits Shenandoah Rail Trail
U.S. Senator Tim Kaine stopped in the Town of Broadway on May 6 during his recent tour of the Shenandoah Valley. He met members of the Shenandoah Rail Trail Exploratory Partnership to learn about their work to build a 50-mile rail trail from Broadway to Front Royal along an out-of-service Norfolk Southern rail line. The Partnership hopes that Senator Kaine’s support will help to move the Partnership and the region closer to building the State’s newest rail trail, which would pass through two Planning Districts, three counties, and connect nine towns in the northern Shenandoah Valley.
CSPDC is a member of Shenandoah Rail Trail Partnership, which just launched a public input survey to assess support for the Rail Trail. We encourage everyone to participate in the survey.
Afton Express Receives Bus
The first bus that will be used in the Afton Express transit service connecting Staunton, Fishersville and Waynesboro to Charlottesville has arrived to the BRITE Transit Facility. Two additional buses will be delivered and branded with the distinctive Afton Express logo prior to initiation of service on September 1, 2021. Marketing and promotional planning is underway and includes an advertising campaign to begin in July.