News
GO Virginia Funds the Shihadeh Innovation Project
The GO Virginia State Board awarded $540,000 to Winchester Public Schools to renovate the former 50,000 square-foot John Kerr Elementary School into the Emil and Grace Shihadeh Innovation Center, an advanced facility for career and technical education programs. Winchester Public Schools and Clarke County Public Schools will provide the local funding match and partner with Lord Fairfax Community College Workforce Solutions and regional industries to implement the project.
Curriculum at the new center will be offered through a Professional Skills Academy, a Health Sciences Academy, and an Information Technology Academy. These academies will be supported by an expanded Work-Based Learning program to connect students to regional businesses filling high-wage jobs within these targeted industries. The seven-phase renovation project is scheduled to be completed in September of 2020.
GO Virginia Region 8 is comprised of the 16 localities in the CSPDC and the Northern Shenandoah Regional Commission regions. The CSPDC provides staff support to the Region 8 council and assists with GO Virginia project development and applications.
BRITE Bus Launches New Farecards
On March 4 BRITE bus began selling and accepting pre-paid farecards for the convenience of BRITE bus riders. These twelve-punch farecards are an alternative to needing exact change or a token to ride the bus and are available in 25 cent or 50 cent increments. Riders can purchase either a $3 (25 cent) or $5 (50 cent) card from the driver on the bus, at the BRITE Transit Facility or at the CSPDC offices. Farecards may be used for fare payment on the BRITE fixed routes or for BRITE Access service.
Learn more about the BRITE transit system from Transit Manager, Nancy Gourley’s, recent interview with WHSV TV3.
50 Years of Regional Housing Assistance
Over the past 50 years, the CSPDC has assisted localities with a variety of programs, housing studies, and funding applications that provide safe, livable housing and access to public utilities. Projects throughout the region have included rehabbing substandard housing, replacing or installing new water, sewer, and indoor plumbing, drainage systems, relocating homes outside of flood zones, and providing low-interest mortgage loans and down payment assistance to first time home buyers.
In 1999, the HOME Down Payment Assistance program was established to assist first-time low-to moderate-income households purchase homes. Twenty years later, this program is still available and has assisted almost 250 households in the region.
Currently Rockbridge County is finishing a three-year housing project that provides affordable housing in the Greenhouse Village neighborhood. Rockbridge County partnered with Rockbridge Area Habitat for Humanity to build 35 new homes and install the necessary infrastructure like roads, water, and sewer to develop the neighborhood. Each year, one of the houses constructed is a modular home built by students at the Rockbridge County High School and moved to the site. The project is funded through the state’s Community Development Block Grant program.
The CSPDC is proud to have helped thousands of individuals within the region gain a safe, decent, and sanitary place to call home.
Request for Quote (RFQ) for On-Call Legal Services
This Request for Quote (RFQ) (and any Amendments) is to contract for on-call legal services to be provided to the Central Shenandoah Planning District Commission (CSPDC) for the period July 1, 2019 through June 30, 2024, with the potential for a total of three (3) one-year extension periods. Please click here for additional information: https://www.cspdc.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/2019_RequestQuote_Legal-Services.pdf
Amendment #1 – 2/14/19
CSPDC Updates Mitigation Plan
In January, the CSPDC began updating the Central Shenandoah Valley All Hazards Mitigation Plan that was created in 2005 and previously updated in 2013. During the update, hazards are examined, risks assessed, and mitigation options such as local planning/regulations, structure and infrastructure projects, and education/awareness programs are identified.
Under Title 44 of the Federal Code of Regulations, a FEMA approved mitigation plan is required to receive certain mitigation funding in the aftermath of a federally declared disaster. This plan enables a community to adapt to changing conditions and ensures a rapid recovery from disruption. Through the plan, communities in the Central Shenandoah Valley participate in a planning process that allows them to proactively protect themselves, build self-sufficiency, and become more sustainable.