News

GO Virginia Announces Next Round of Proposals

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The GO Virginia Region 8 Council is now accepting proposals for projects to be funded through the Commonwealth’s GO Virginia initiative to grow and diversify regional economies. GO Virginia is an initiative by Virginia’s senior business leaders to foster private-sector growth and job creation through state incentives for regional collaboration by business, education, and government. The Region 8 Council has approximately $828,000 in per capita GO Virginia funds to award for collaborative projects that involve two or more localities and a private sector partner. Projects should be focused on the targeted industries and eligible activities identified in  Region 8’s Growth and Diversification Plan . In addition to the per capita funds, approximately $11.3 million in competitive statewide GO Virginia funds are also available for projects where two or more GO Virginia regions partner.
Applicants are strongly encouraged to review the project application guide available on the Shenandoah Valley Partnership website prior to completing an application. The upcoming application deadlines are June 1, 2018, for per capita and competitive applications, and August 3, 2018, for per capita applications.
Click here for Region 8 Application Process Infographic.

Chesapeake Bay WIP III Begins

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The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) has begun phase III of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Implementation Plan (WIP III). The State is required to submit a draft plan to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in March 2019 that will ensure pollution control measures needed to fully restore the Bay are in place no later than 2025.
DEQ has contracted with the CSPDC (and 14 other PDCs across the state) to assist the Non-MS4 localities in the region with refining and identifying Best Management Practices (BMPs) and programmatic actions, at regional levels, that will meet local area planning goals for the WIP. Our process will begin in June 2018 and wrap-up in December 2018.
A parallel process with the agricultural community will be taking place with services and technical assistance provided by the Soil and Water Conservation Districts.
For more information on this project and next steps please contact Liza Vick (540-885-5174), regional planner, at the CSPDC.

CSPDC Creates Economic Asset Web App

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CSPDC has created an economic asset web app that allows users to discover business and quality of life assets for the 10 localities in the CSPDC region.  Each locality has a tab with a short description and link to their Economic Development pages.  Users can click on locality features in the interactive map to find more information, including demographic data such as population, median age, cost of living, and unemployment rates. Users can also view industrial/business parks and business incentive zones in the CSPDC region.

Wildfire and Hazards Survey Released to Gather Public Input

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The CSPDC, along with the Regional All Hazards Mitigation Plan Committee, have launched an online survey of the region’s residents to gauge their perceptions about vulnerability to natural hazards. The survey will also gather input about their willingness to implement preparedness and mitigation measures to protect their families, homes, and businesses.  The responses will be incorporated into the Central Shenandoah Valley Wildfire Protection Plan and the Central Shenandoah Valley All Hazards Mitigation Plan. With all of the natural disasters and human-induced disasters across the country this past year, the survey will be an important way that residents can help first responders understand the hazard readiness of residents in the region.  Please share the survey link with your friends, colleagues, and neighbors here in the Central Shenandoah Valley.

Watch WHSV’s coverage of the survey HERE.

All Hazards WHSV

2018 Virginia Agritourism Conference

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Join Fields of Gold Coordinator, Spencer Eavers, in Williamsburg for the highly-anticipated Agritourism in Virginia’s New Economy conference on March 21-22. Held at Great Wolf Lodge, the two-day conference will provide agritourism entrepreneurs, economic development staff members, and local government leaders incredible opportunities to engage with experts in Virginia agritourism.
On the first day, attendees will learn how to improve agritourism operations, build a fundable business plan, discuss land conservation, identify funding resources, and visit two farms where they will discover agritourism successes and challenges.
The second day of the Conference will provide lessons for improving customer service, exploring new ideas related to Virginia’s Standards of Learning, and learning from the best regarding safety, legal, liability, and labor management issues.
Review the program and register online today!