The Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation recently kicked off a new initiative, the Blue Ridge Rising Action Plan. The initiative views the Blue Ridge Parkway as a catalyst for promoting regional tourism and economic vitality, and aims to strengthen cross-jurisdictional relationships, foster economic development within the Blue Ridge Parkway gateway communities, and establish a unified regional voice. The Blue Ridge Parkway passes through both Augusta County and Rockbridge County in the CSPDC region.
Over the past several months, the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation held county input sessions for each of the 29 counties in the Blue Ridge Parkway system, including Rockbridge and Augusta County, to gather feedback from stakeholders about the current relationship of the Parkway to economic development and tourism, and solicit input on potential improvements. Based on that feedback, the Parkway Foundation is now seeking review and feedback on the key takeaways from the county meetings, and will be holding regional input sessions.
The Blue Ridge Rising Action Plan input session for our region will be held on Tuesday, August 8 from 3-5pm at the Hampton Inn in Lexington. The meeting is drop-in style, so participants can come anytime during the two-hour window or stay for the entire time. There will also be an optional, informal social hour to meet other community leaders in our region after the 3-5pm event. For more information and to register for the upcoming session, click here.