VAPDC Connections

Virginia Association of Planning District Commissions - April 2011

In This Issue

~ President's Message ~

~ Summer Conference ~

~ Region 2000 Wins Award ~

~ Chesapeake Bay TMDL FAQs ~

~ NRVPDC Awarded Grant ~

~ Va. Beach Hosts Sessions ~

~ CRC Hosts Roundtable ~

~ Brookings Institution Report ~

~ RVA's Redistricting Software ~

~ HRPDC Goes Social ~

~ VLGMA Summer Conference ~

From the President

April is here and all corners of Virginia seem to have been blessed with spring and the renewal of our surroundings. Like the world around us, VAPDC is also going through a renewal period and taking an in-depth look at the organization and how to continue to grow the Association as a resource for its members.

Earlier this month, the VAPDC Board and Executive Directors met in Charlottesville to review the Strategic Plan and determine how that plan should be updated to provide the most benefit to members while moving forward. VAPDC has retained Bill Leighty and his partners, of DecideSmart to assist in this process. Bill served as Chief of Staff to Governors Kaine and Warner of Virginia until September 2007.
Read more...

Martin Nohe

President, VAPDC

Upcoming Meetings

Board of Directors Meetings 2011:

May 11

June 8

July 28-30 (at Summer Conference)

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

Summer Conference

July 27-30, 2011

The Cavalier Hotel,

Virginia Beach, VA

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

is published

quarterly

by the Virginia Association of Planning District Commissions.

Newsletter Deadline!

The deadline for the next issue of "VAPDC Connections" is June 30, 2011.

Please submit your articles to VAPDC.

Summer Conference is Coming!

Cavalier Oceanfront Mark your calendars for the VAPDC Summer Conference! The conference will be held July 28-30 at the Cavalier Hotel in Virginia Beach.

Special room rates are available for conference attendees at a rate of $159 per night. For hotel details, click here.

Conference attendees will have the opportunity to participate in a red carpet tour of NAS Oceana. Watch your email for more details as the conference draws near!

Region 2000 Wins VEDA Award

Virginia's Region 2000 Partnership accepted a 2011 Community Economic Development Award on Friday, April 8 from the Virginia Economic Development Association (VEDA) in recognition for its innovative approach to regional economic development.

Region 2000's economic development organization and planning district commission have been working in a tandem partnership for over three years coordinating efforts to build economic growth for businesses, residents, higher education institutions and localities.

You may have read a recent newspaper article or seen a television news story about the Chesapeake Bay TMDL. Or, maybe it was about a region-wide "pollution diet" the Environmental Protection Agency has proposed to improve the water quality throughout the Bay watershed.

The HRPDC has received numerous requests for information regarding these topics and has compiled and produced the Chesapeake Bay TMDL FAQ Sheet, to answer some of the more frequent and basic questions about the Bay TMDL.

New River Valley PDC Awarded Grant

An Economic Development Administration (EDA) grant has been awarded to the New River Valley Planning District Commission (PDC) who will partner with the Mount Rogers Planning District Commission, and the Roanoke Valley-Alleghany Regional Commission with the service expanding from Botetourt County to Washington County (see TEMCI Project Region map). This multi-PDC effort is a public-private partnership funded by the EDA's Trade Adjustment Assistance program and aimed at benefitting the region's transportation equipment manufacturers and their suppliers. The EDA grant totals approximately $1.5 million and will provide technical assistance to private companies through Virginia Tech's Center for High Performance Manufacturing as well as GENEDGE ALLIANCE. Volvo Trucks North America has also pledged $175,000 in matching funds which brings the project total to over $1.67 million.

Virginia Beach Hosts Listening Sessions

The city of Virginia Beach hosted four listening sessions for residents to discuss the issues posed by sea level rise and flooding. The meetings were held March 30 and 31 at four locations in Virginia Beach: the Virginia Aquarium and Marine Science Center, Red Mill Elementary School, the Meyera Oberndorf Central Library, and Bayside Recreation Center.
The four listening sessions included presentations from Wetlands Watch, the Hampton Roads Planning District Commission (HRPDC), and the city of Virginia Beach Environment and Sustainability Office (ESO).

On February 25, 2011, the Commonwealth Regional Council (CRC) hosted a roundtable for local business and government leaders in Planning District 14 with the Fifth District's new Representative in Congress, Robert Hurt. During his opening remarks, Hurt stressed the need for regional cooperation and commended the CRC for its efforts in that area. He said, "The work that can be done when you work as a region is so much greater than what you can do when you try to do it alone."

Citing the challenges the region has faced over the last 10 to 20 years with the loss of textiles and manufacturing, and the decline in the tobacco industry, Hurt added, "We've all shared those challenges, and I think our future success depends on working together."

Brookings Institution Releases Report

The Brookings Institution released a report titled Metropolitan Areas and the Next Economy: A 50-State Analysis. This report examined the contribution of U.S. metropolitan areas to state population and economies. Brookings found that metropolitan areas generate the majority of state economic output, and that most of the innovative and educated workers in the states cluster in metro areas. Brookings also found that 85% of the nation's exports are produced in metropolitan areas.

The Roanoke Valley-Alleghany Regional Commission recently acquired redistricting software that uses GIS (Geographic Information System) technology to aid in the drawing of election district boundaries. Commission staff will be assisting Alleghany and Craig Counties, and the City of Covington in the redistricting process. Staff has also provided redistricting technical support to Botetourt and Roanoke Counties. An election district map for the proposed City of Alleghany Highlands consolidation was also developed using the software.

HRPDC Goes Social!

Attention Facebook and social networking fanatics! The HRPDC has a Facebook page! Next time you sign on to Facebook, search for "HRPDC." When you find the VAPDC page, click the "Like" button. Once you do you'll have access to the HRPDC's wealth of tips and tricks for protecting the region's environment and resources, both historic and natural. You'll know where to go to find out how the Hampton Roads economy is performing, or how HRPDC is preparing for an emergency situation that affects all 1.6 million residents.

VLGMA Hosting Summer Conference

VAPDC members are invited to attend the Virginia Local Government Management Association's (VLGMA) summer conference, June 15-17 at the Hilton Oceanfront Hotel in Virginia Beach.

VLGMA is offering non-VLGMA members a special deal for registration to the Thursday sessions. All of the registration materials are on the VLGMA Web site.