News

New BRITE Bus Transit Manager

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Aidan Quirke has been hired as CSPDC’s Transit Program Manager to replace Nancy Gourley, who will retire at the end of the year. A native of Virginia, Aidan holds a Master’s degree in Urban and Regional Planning from Virginia Commonwealth University and has worked for public transit agencies in Richmond, Virginia and Savannah, Georgia

Inter-Regional Transit Study Kicks Off

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The Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT) has contracted with Kimley-Horn to complete additional research and analysis on the feasibility of Afton Express, a proposed public transit service connecting the Staunton, Augusta County, Waynesboro (SAW) region to the City of Charlottesville. This approximately six-month study will build on previously completed efforts to evaluate the feasibility of this service, while examining specific elements of those studies in greater detail.

Buena Vista Receives CDBG Planning Grants

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In June, the City of Buena Vista was awarded a Business District Revitalization Planning Grant and an Opportunity Zone Planning Grant through the Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD). Together the two grants, totaling $40,000, will create an inventory of properties,  address specific revitalization needs to the downtown area, identify gaps in opportunities, and develop an economic development marketing plan for the city.
Currently, a Project Management Team is being established along with a Physical Inventory Survey of open spaces and buildings in downtown.  A public meeting to discuss initial grant activities and obtain community input for further use of funding will be held in early September.

Delegate Landes Presents 50th Anniversary Resolution

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This year marks the 50th anniversary of the creation of the Central Shenandoah Planning District Commission. In 1968, the Virginia State Legislature passed the Virginia Area Development Act which set forth the framework for the establishment of regional planning district commissions throughout the state, and on October 1, 1969, the CSPDC was organized.

This year, the General Assembly passed a resolution in honor of the Commonwealth’s 21 PDCs. During the CSPDC’s annual meeting on August 19, Delegate Steve Landes presented the resolution to the Commission.

BRITE Bus to Give Free Rides During Try Transit Week

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Try Transit Week, September 16-20, 2019, is an educational event designed to encourage Virginians to reduce their use of single-occupancy vehicles and try a form of public transportation. Try Transit will be celebrated in Staunton, Augusta County, and Waynesboro with a Free Ride Day on all BRITE Bus transit routes on Wednesday, September 18. Riders can ride any of the BRITE Bus routes, paratransit, or deviated fixed routes free of charge that day.
Try Transit Week was created by the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT) and transit operators across the Commonwealth to spread the word about public transportation accessibility and its numerous benefits. As part of Try Transit Week, DRPT sponsors a Try Transit Week pledge giveaway. Participants who pledge to “try transit” are automatically entered for a chance to win a year of free transit service from a participating Virginia transit operator, as well as a pair of round-trip tickets aboard Amtrak’s Northeast Regional transit.