VAPDC Connections

Virginia Association of Planning District Commissions - January 2011

In This Issue

~ President's Message ~

~ Winter Conference ~

~ RVA Awarded Grant ~

~ EDA Visits Central Shenandoah ~

~ Crater PDC Adopts Petersburg Tourism ~

~ CSPDC Bike the Valley Program ~

~ Board Member Honored ~

From the President

As we enter the New Year and reflect upon 2010 we are all looking for those signs on the horizon that will hopefully indicate the return of a more normal economic climate in the year ahead. With the Governor's efforts to fuel economic development and job creation we are off to a good start.

One of the initiatives that VAPDC has been watching closely is The Governor's Commission on Government Reform & Restructuring. The Commission delivered their six-month report in December recommending strategies to cut state spending by two percent, yielding savings or cost avoidance in excess of $100 million.

Among the 133 recommendations and observations made in the Commission's report* the following are of particular note to PDCs and their member localities:

- The Commonwealth has not conducted an effective or systematic review of the 500 mandates that state government places on localities. The Commission has proposed the periodic evaluation and elimination of unnecessary mandates on local governments.

- The Commonwealth should better integrate shared services, the various back office operations such as payroll and human resources. Included in the report are several strategies for integration;
- The Commission received a report from the Operational Review Task Force, made up of local and state government officials and Virginia's leading minds in industry. The Task Force proposed more than 100 strategies to save money by better managing state government travel, water and energy consumption; and
- There must be greater effort to encourage localities and state agencies to bid together for services such as health, vision and dental insurance. The Commission considered this a commonsense reform that can increase buying power and lower costs for all.

Martin Nohe

President, VAPDC

Upcoming Meetings

Board of Directors Meetings 2011:

February 3 (at Winter Conference)

July 28-30 (at Summer Conference)

(All board meetings at 9:00 am. unless otherwise noted.)

Virginia's Planning

District Commissions

Lenowisco PDC
Cumberland Plateau PDC
Mount Rogers PDC
New River Valley PDC
Roanoke Valley-Alleghany RC
Central Shenandoah PDC
Northern Shenandoah Valley PDC
Northern Virginia RC
Rappahannock-Rapidan RC
Thomas Jefferson PDC
Region 2000 LGC
West Piedmont PDC
Southside PDC
Commonwealth PDC
Richmond Regional PDC
George Washington RC
Northern Neck PDC
Crater PDC
Accomack-Northampton PDC
Hampton Roads PDC

VAPDC Connections

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by the Virginia Association of Planning District Commissions.

Hurry and Register for the Winter Conference!

Richmond Marriott

Join VAPDC for our annual Winter Conference, February 3-4 in Richmond, Virginia. Held at the beautiful Richmond Marriott in downtown Richmond, the conference will feature both educational and networking opportunities.

Click here to register for the conference, as Friday, January 28 is the last day registration is open.

Be sure to check out the conference agenda and the speaker bios.

Roanoke Valley-Alleghany Region Awarded Sustainable Communities Grant

The U.S. Department of Housing and Community Development (HUD), in partnership with the U.S. Department of Transportation and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, recently announced that the Roanoke Valley-Alleghany Regional Commission was one of 45 organizations nationwide that will receive a portion of $100 million from the Sustainable Communities Regional Planning Grant Program. The Regional Commission will receive $625,000 from HUD over a three-year period to support the development of a comprehensive plan which will address economic development, housing, transportation, and the environment within the region.

Since the formation of Virginia Association of Metropolitan Planning Organizations (VAMPO) in October 2010, eleven Virginia MPOs have officially joined VAMPO and appointed members to the VAMPO Board of Directors as of January 1, 2011.

Click here to read more about the new member MPOs and more.

EDA Visits Central Shenandoah PDC

Representatives from the U. S. Department of Commerce's Economic Development Administration (EDA) visited the Central Shenandoah Region in October. EDA representatives met with the region's economic development directors and others to talk about economic development projects throughout the region and other workforce and employment issues. While there, EDA officials toured the Mill at South River in Waynesboro. There are plans to redevelop the site for a mix of uses by capitalizing on the assets of the riverfront. The redevelopment of the former Crompton Mill site is part of the overall effort to revitalize the City's downtown.

Petersburg Area Regional Tourism Moves Under Crater PDC Umbrella

In early December, the Crater Planning District Commission agreed to accept responsibility for the executive functions of Petersburg Area Regional Tourism (PART). Six Crater District member localities comprise the Petersburg Area: Chesterfield, Dinwiddie and Prince George Counties, and the cities of Colonial Heights, Hopewell, and Petersburg.

The Commission is responsible for giving birth to PART, as it secured funding from the U.S. Economic Development Administration in 2004 to engage Randall Travel Marketing, Inc., which undertook the Comprehensive Tourism & Travel Research & Strategic Planning Project that included all eleven Crater PDC localities. This study produced for each locality a tailored written report that contained the following: 1) current status of tourism, marketing assessment, and recommendations; 2) report on executive interviews with community leaders; 3) lodging survey and analysis; 4) reconnaissance & mystery shopping report; 5) and a comprehensive product inventory report.

Hampton Roads PDC Gets New Look

The Hampton Roads Planning District Commission (HRPDC) has a crisp, new contemporary look! Our new logo is now being officially unveiled and we wanted you, our trusted partners and supporters, to be the first to know. The new look is illustrative of the forward thinking, anticipatory assistance we strive to provide daily to our member jurisdictions. While we've changed our look, our service and responsiveness will only improve as we enter this New Year uniquely staffed to tackle significant regional challenges and opportunities relating to the environment, the economy, planning and emergency management.

The Virginia Tourism Corporation announced that the Central Shenandoah Planning District has been awarded funding through the state's Virginia is for Lovers Marketing Leverage Grant Program for the Bike the Valley project. bike Bike the Valley is a marketing campaign designed to promote the Shenandoah Valley as a key bicycle tourism destination in the Commonwealth.

The Virginia Tourism Corporation (VTC) marketing leverage program helps stimulate new tourism spending through regional and local partnership marketing initiatives. These partnerships leverage funds to enable destinations to market in venues they would otherwise not be able to afford. Applicants must consist of at least three Virginia partners and present a proposal for an initiative that meets a stringent set of requirements. Central Shenandoah PDC served as the lead entity for the Bike the Valley project, in a partnership that included Greater Augusta Regional Tourism, Harrisonburg Tourism, Rockbridge-Lexington Tourism, Staunton Tourism, Milepost Zero, Queen City Cycling, Shenandoah Valley Bicycle Coalition and the Shenandoah Bicycle Company.

Bruce Goodson, a 1979 graduate of Virginia Wesleyan College, is the recipient of the Alumni Service Award. Goodson graduated with a bachelor's degree in mathematics. He is a member of the Williamsburg-James City County Board of Supervisors and is serving his third term representing the Roberts District. He was county chairman in 2004, 2006 and 2008. He represents James City County on the Hampton Roads Alliance for Economic Development and the Peninsula Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors.

Newsletter Deadline!

The deadline for the next issue of "VAPDC Connections" is April 5, 2011.

Please submit your articles to VAPDC.