News
Bath-Highland Network Authority Public Notice of a Meeting
On July 8th, 2024, at 1:00 PM, the Bath-Highland Network Authority will hold a meeting at the Bolar Ruritan Club, 38 Bolar Lane, Monterey, VA 24465. For more information about the meeting, please contact Steve Bolster at 540-885-5174 or steve@cspdc.org.
Devon Thompson Graduates from VTLI
Jen Debruhl, DRPT Director, Devon Thompson, CSPDC Transit Program Manager, Deanna Reed, Harrisonburg City Mayor
In September 2023, Devon Thompson, Transit Program Manager, was selected to participate in the inaugural class of the Virginia Transit Leadership Institute (VTLI). VTLI is a program of Virginia Transit Association (VTA), the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT), and state transit agencies, and is the Commonwealth’s first public transportation focused leadership program focused on cultivating and elevating future leaders within the transit industry.
The inaugural class of fellows, comprised of 15 transit professionals across the Commonwealth, met over the course of nine months. Fellows gained an extensive and comprehensive perspective into Virginia’s public transportation network by participating in six full-day sessions hosted around the state covering 32 transit-related topics ranging from legislation, funding, communications/community outreach, transit network and service planning, and leadership and operations.
The cohort graduated from the program at VTA’s 47th Annual Conference and Expo hosted in Harrisonburg, VA on May 22-23, 2024.
Devon Thompson and Zach Beard Named Program Managers
The CSPDC is pleased to announce that Devon Thompson and Zach Beard have been promoted from their role as Senior Planners to Transit and Transportation Program Managers.
Devon Thompson began working at the CSPDC in 2013 as an intern upon graduating from the University of Virginia’s Urban and Environmental Planning program. Over the years, Devon has worked on just about every program throughout the PDC, expanding her knowledge base first as an intern, then assistant planner, and eventually as a designated Transit Planner in 2017. Since then, Devon has been responsible for the management and oversight of the contracted service provision of the BRITE Bus system, developing budgets, the coordination of transit plans and studies, maintaining and reporting performance data to the National Transit Database, and facilitating the BRITE Transit Advisory Committee. As the new Transit Program Manager, Devon will continue to play a role in the strategic planning and higher order operations of the transit program, and will take on the supervision of the Transit Planner, transitioning some of the day-to-day operational responsibilities to that role.
Zach Beard has served as a transportation planner since 2019, most recently as a Senior Planner. Zach has staffed the Staunton-Augusta-Waynesboro Metropolitan Planning Organization (SAWMPO), coordinating monthly Policy Board and Technical Advisory Committee meetings. He has worked on countless small-area studies throughout the SAWMPO region, as well as other short- and long-range transportation plans. In addition to working with the MPO, Zach also helps coordinate the Rural Transportation Program, providing transportation planning support to the localities within the CSPDC region that are outside of the MPO boundaries. He also assists localities through their comprehensive plan development, including but not limited to, drafting and reviewing transportation chapters. As the Transportation Program Manager, Zach will take on the supervision of the Transportation Planner, and will work with the Director of Transportation to administer both Staunton-Augusta-Waynesboro and Harrisonburg-Rockingham Metropolitan Planning Organizations. Zach is a graduate of UVA’s Urban and Environmental Planning program, earning his Master’s degree in 2016. With an interest in environmental planning, Zach also leads the CSPDC region’s Watershed Implementation Plan (WIP).
Please join us in congratulating Devon and Zach on these accomplishments and help us support them in their new roles.
GO Virginia Region 8 Helps Fund Apprenticeship Program at VCTC
Eight high school students from the Valley Career and Technical Center (VCTC) recently signed formal apprenticeship agreements with local employers. The apprenticeship program allows students in the Augusta County, Staunton, and Waynesboro school divisions an opportunity to gain on-the-job training and technical instruction while preparing for a career. The partnership between students and their employers will serve to lessen the deficit of skilled tradespeople by empowering students to begin their journey toward careers in electricity and mechanics.
GO Virginia funding is helping to address skill and employment gaps in the manufacturing and transportation sectors in the region. Funds are being used at VCTC 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. CSPDC staff is providing grant administration for the GO Virginia Region 8 project.
CSPDC and Community Partners Host Screening of The Street Project Film
The CSPDC is partnering with Augusta Health, the Central Shenandoah Valley Office on Youth, the Community Foundation of the Central Blue Ridge, Shenandoah Valley Bicycle Coalition, and Waynesboro Parks and Recreation to sponsor a screening of The Street Project, a film about creating safer streets for all road users – walkers, bike riders, and drivers. This event will be held at the Wayne Theater on June 20 at 7 pm. This pay-what-you-will event will include brief opening remarks, the film, and an opportunity for question and answer/discussion with local panelists following the film.
More About the Film
The Street Project is a 52-minute documentary that covers three main topics through an uplifting narrative: 1) the current crisis in bicyclist and pedestrian traffic accidents and fatalities, 2) the historical developments that led us to this crisis, 3) infrastructure, planning, and design strategies to improve road safety for all users, improve transportation equity, and build strong communities.
In 2010, the small community of specialists who pay attention to US road safety statistics picked up on a troubling trend: more and more pedestrians and bicyclists riders were being killed on America’s roads. In fact, pedestrian deaths have increased steadily since reaching their low point in 2009. 2022 (the latest year for which data are available) was the deadliest year for pedestrians in the US since 1981. The Street Project includes interviews with a diverse array of experts, including street historian Peter Norton, city planner Jeff Speck, and urban design expert Mikael Colville-Andersen. These expert interviews are interwoven with the stories of people working to make their communities safer. For more information about the film and/or to watch the trailer, click https://www.thestreetproject.com/about/
The Wayne Theater is located at 521 West Main Street in Waynesboro, VA. Doors will open at 6 pm.
If you plan to attend, please register at this link https://forms.gle/Fi2Q6WdVMnEE6nGF9.
We hope to see you there!