On a tour through the Shenandoah Valley on March 26, Senator Mark Warner stopped in Staunton to talk with local officials about the future of passenger rail in the region. Amtrak has been awarded $500,000 to identify and study potential improvements to the Cardinal Service which currently serves the Downtown Staunton station three days a week. The study is funded through the Corridor Identification and Development Program with funds allocated to the Federal Railroad Administration from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Amtrak has seen an increase in ridership across the Commonwealth with rail traffic in the Lynchburg-Roanoke corridor up 130 percent. The study will explore the feasibility of expanding the Cardinal route’s service from three to seven days a week. Even with the increase in ridership, improvements are needed to make rail travel in the Commonwealth more accessible and efficient. The Senator noted several challenges along the corridor south of Washington D.C. that cause delays. Many of those delays resulting from trains waiting to access single-track segments, bottlenecks at bridges, and lack of electrified tracks.

Although the event was primarily focused on passenger rail, Senator Warner took questions from those in attendance on a range of topics of interest both locally and nationally such as the war in Ukraine, affordable housing, broadband, inflation, immigration reform, and renewable energy. During the meeting, he shared local accolades, calling out the ongoing Shenandoah Valley Airport project, and the Afton Express and BRITE Transit System. Senator Warner acknowledged Bonnie Riedesel’s recent retirement and thanked her for her many years of service to the region.

The Senator’s trip through the Valley also included stops in Harrisonburg and Buena Vista where he spoke about regionally significant projects.

On March 29, Governor Glen Youngkin announced the award of seven Industrial Revitalization Fund (IRF) grants totaling over $10M. The City of Buena Vista (BV), who applied for additional funding support for the Mountain Gateway Community College (MGCC) Wilson Workforce Development Center project, received an FY 2024 IRF award totaling $650,000.

The IRF funding leverages other financial sources to modernize the one-time Courtesy Ford facility. The dealership was built in 1916 and is part of the Downtown Buena Vista Historic District. It’s also listed on the Virginia and National Register of Historic Places. The structure has remained vacant since about 2010. During a BV Community Development Block Grant Business District Revitalization study in 2019, the building was identified as blighted. This designation will change as the 18,750 square foot location is transformed into the Wilson Workforce Development Center, an approximately $6.1M project.

The Center will offer degree and non-degree programs in hard trades (HVAC technician, Commercial Driver’s License, Diesel Mechanic, Advanced Manufacturing, and Welding). These employment fields are included in the FastForward program, which provides tuition assistance to Virginians training for in-demand jobs. The projected enrollment is 125 in the first year, rising to 300 students by year five. MGCC leadership established industry agreements for a total of 60 new jobs and 40 retained jobs at three regional employers: 1. Modine Manufacturing, 2. Everbrite, and 3. Lee-Hi Travel Plaza. Additionally, MGCC anticipates the creation of 28 direct jobs as a result of this project. Collectively, these commitments represent over $2M in investment by the respective employers. The Center will be a cornerstone to BV’s downtown development as it will bring students, faculty, and staff from around the region and contribute directly to local merchants and restaurants.

The Governor’s news release stated, “Since 2012, the IRF program has funded 66 projects that have revitalized vacant, blighted buildings. These projects have generated more than $228 million in additional public and private investment and resulted in the creation of more than 1,200 jobs across Virginia. For more information on IRF, visit www.dhcd.virginia.gov/irf.”

The CSPDC recently aided Hose Company #4 Fire Department (HC4FD) leadership with their submission for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) program. The HC4FD applied for $1.5M in funding to purchase a new rescue engine and equipment. The HC4FD has been serving the citizens of Harrisonburg and Rockingham County since 1890. Their first due area consists of 140 square miles which includes the communities of Belmont, Cross Keys, Keezletown, Lacy Springs, Lakewood, Linville, Massanetta Springs, McGaheysville, and Shen Lake along with 12 miles of Interstate 81. The HC4FD second due area includes three colleges (Blue Ridge Community College, Eastern Mennonite University, and James Madison University), the City of Harrisonburg, and the towns of Bridgewater, Grottoes, and Mount Crawford. They have over 70 members, with 50 active Firefighters or EMTs. The HC4FD is currently averaging 4,000 volunteer hours a month in Fire/EMS services via 12-hour shifts, seven days a week.

The primary goal of the AFG is to meet the firefighting and emergency response needs of fire departments and non-affiliated emergency medical service organizations. Since 2001, the AFG program has helped firefighters and other first responders obtain critically needed equipment, protective gear, emergency vehicles, training, and other resources necessary for protecting the public and emergency personnel from fire and related hazards. The FY 2023 AFG notice of funding opportunity states the anticipated award date begins around April 30th and continues until all program grant awards are issued (no later than September 30th).

Use this link to learn about the FEMA AFG program: https://www.fema.gov/grants/preparedness/firefighters. In addition, interested organizations will find further information on the FY 2023 Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) and FY 2023 Fire Prevention & Safety (FP&S) programs.

The CSPDC’s PDC Housing Development Grant, which awarded a total of $1.66 million in gap funding for seven affordable housing developments in the region, has made significant process in recent months. As of April 2024, 27 of the 58 planned affordable housing units have been completed and are either occupied or prepared for occupancy, with the remaining 31 under construction or in pre-development.

Notable program updates for this quarter include:

• Construction was completed for 8 of the 19 affordable units planned for the Suter Street Development, a collaborative project between Central Valley Habitat for Humanity and PDY, LLC in Harrisonburg. The 8 completed affordable units are part of a total 10 units that were built on Suter Street by PDY, LLC, with the remaining two units being sold at a ‘below market’ rate. The 11 units being built by Central Valley Habitat are all under construction and will be completed over the next year.
• The Pump Street Apartments project, which provides 6 units of permanent supportive housing to extremely low-income individuals experiencing substance use disorder or chronic homelessness, was completed in this quarter. The project is fully leased.
• Project financing was completed for the Fairfax Hall renovation in Waynesboro, and construction is set to begin in late-April 2024.
• The Greenhouse Village Project, which will bring 8 affordable homeownership units to Rockbridge County, is well-underway, with several units either complete or in final construction phases.

All units will be completed no later than June 30, 2025.

Pictured Above: Completed Pump Street Apartments project in Staunton. This development was an adaptive-reuse project, converting a former local glass company into 6 affordable units and an office for local non-profit, Valley Supportive Housing. The six new units add to the existing six units already in place on the top floor of the building.