Virginia Department of Health staff will present program details on the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) programs: Drinking Water Infrastructure Construction Funding and Septic & Well Assistance Program at a virtual workshop March 16, 2022, 12:00 pm – 3:00 pm. These programs have been funded through the Virginia General Assembly with funds provided by the Federal Department of the Treasury.

More details and registration can be found here:  CPE Water Quality Broadcast 2022

Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) is holding an open grant round for $11 million in Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) grants from February 1-March 15, 2022. LWCF is reimbursement program for the acquisition and/or development of public outdoor recreation areas.

All LWCF assisted areas must be maintained and opened, in perpetuity, as public outdoor recreation areas. The LWCF is a 50-50 percent matching reimbursement program. An updated program manual, application materials, and applicant resources are available at: https://www.dcr.virginia.gov/recreational-planning/lwcf

Transportation needs in the Harrisonburg Rockingham region are changing, and the Harrisonburg Rockingham Metropolitan Planning Organization (HRMPO) is offering residents an exciting opportunity to share community priorities that will shape the future of the region’s transportation network.

HRMPO, which is staffed by CSPDC, is providing several ways for residents to convey input that will guide the development of the region’s 2045 long range transportation plan (LRTP) over the next year.

HRMPO is working with Avid-Core, a strategic communications firm based in Northern Virginia. Avid-Core will support the HRMPO throughout the 2045 Long Range Transportation Plan process with a three-phase Public Engagement Plan. Avid-Core and MPO staff have developed a multi-media strategy to engage with the region’s diverse communities, and to raise the MPO’s profile as the regional transportation planning body charged with implementing a collaborative, comprehensive process for investing in transportation improvements. During February, 2022, Avid-Core is helping the HRMPO promote the online Visioning Survey, which will inform priorities in the 2045 Long Range Plan.

The LRTP will cover all modes of transportation across the City of Harrisonburg, the towns of Bridgewater, Dayton, and Mt. Crawford, and portions of Rockingham County. The first phase of the LRTP process is visioning. Residents are invited to:

• Fill out the online visioning survey between February 1 and March 2, 2022.
• Tune into the webinar on February 16, 2022 at 7 p.m. or watch the recording on-demand.

HRMPO 2045 Long Range Transportation Plan from CSPDC on Vimeo.

The community priorities identified in the survey will guide which transportation projects are considered in the LRTP, and to develop the evaluation criteria for projects.

Visit hrvampo.org/lrtp for more information and to sign up to receive email updates on the LRTP.

In December, Governor Northam announced the allocation of $722 million to provide universal broadband infrastructure in 70 localities, which will close 90% of Virginia’s digital divide. The funding—from the Virginia Telecommunication Initiative (VATI) and the federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA)—will support 35 projects. One of those projects is the Bath-Highland Network Authority 2022 Universal Broadband Project, which was awarded over $7 million. The CSPDC was the applicant on behalf of the Bath-Highland Network Authority and MGW is the co-applicant to bring universal broadband coverage to Bath and Highland counties.

• Total project cost: $10,990,000
• Total matching funds: $3,113,200 (28.3% of the total project)
  • MGW is providing $2,013,200
  • Bath County is providing $800,000 in local ARPA funds
  • Highland County is providing $300,000 in local ARPA funds
• Total VATI funding request: $7,876,800
• Total locations served: 2,470 locations (Bath: 2,156 and Highland: 314)