Region's Jailors and Staff Plan Contingent Operations in Response to Category 2 Hurricane Threat

 

Operation Secure Fortress, a tabletop exercise conducted on Thursday, May 9, 2013 at the Hampton Roads Planning District Commission office in Chesapeake, evaluated the preparedness capabilities of Southside local and regional jails for responding to significant weather events, including a Category 2 Hurricane.  

 

Sworn and civilian personnel from the Norfolk, Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Western Tidewater Regional and Hampton Roads Regional Jails gathered to examine what to do with inmates when facing such weather conditions. Shelter-in-place or prepare to evacuate them?

 

The jailors and staff members discussed appropriate responses, reviewed individual facility plans (strengths and weaknesses) and engaged in group discussions with other jails to gain insight into multiple options and possible solutions.  

 

Common core issues for many of the jails included the performance of backup generators in the event of a major and prolonged power outage, adequate communication systems if internet and cell towers go down, food and water supplies, sewage and trash concerns, how to handle dialysis patients who are transported off site for treatment, in-house medical care and inmate medical records should computer systems fail and what to do with a deceased inmate's body if an inmate passes during the emergency.

 

"I was able to sit in on part of the exercise and was impressed with the topics covered and the level of dedication and importance our region's correctional personnel placed on the exercise." said Dwight Farmer, HRPDC Executive Director.    

 

"The breadth and detail of the issues they face in such circumstances is staggering. We clearly need to heed the lessons learned from Hurricane Katrina and do more of these exercises so that this portion of the region's population is ready."  

 

The HRPDC sponsored the exercise in accordance with Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program (HSEEP) guidelines. CRA, Inc. of Alexandria, VA provided the exercise support team.

  

In addition to jail participants, representatives from Dominion Virginia Power, Virginia Department of Transportation, Virginia Department of Emergency Management, Virginia Department of Corrections, Virginia Department of Health and the Office of Medical Examiners were on hand to serve as observers and facilitators to the groups to help develop responses to situations and offer additional information to resolve key issues.

By Joe Turner, Communications Manager, May 8, 2013

 

The HRPDC sponsored two Pollution Prevention training programs for municipal workers on May 1st in Newport News and May 2nd in Suffolk. The goal of the training was to instruct employees on how to prevent pollution through "good housekeeping" practices, how to identify potential pollution risks, and establishing plans for safely responding to hazardous spills. The two sessions drew full houses on both sides of the harbor totaling nearly 125 employees, with all Hampton Roads jurisdictions represented.

 

Janet Frey from URS, the HRPDC's continuing services consultant for projects involving water resources and stormwater issues, began the training with an overview of the federal and state stormwater regulations Hampton Roads municipalities must follow. Using pictures, she highlighted best practices and what-not-to-dos for the proper handling and storage of potentially hazardous pollutants, such as fuel oils, pesticides and other industrial-related items.  

 

Frey led a group discussion regarding the importance of having a proper response plan in place to address spills when they occur. Exercises included, among others, how to estimate spill sizes for determining response options. The training wrapped up with a review of hazardous materials identification markers including the National Fire Prevention Association (NFPA) and U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) labels and the international adoptions of the United Nations' Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS). Participants were charged to return to their localities and implement the knowledge they gained from the training through improving housekeeping tactics for potential pollutants, or reviewing/establishing a comprehensive response plan to address spills.

 

Providing training opportunities such as this is just another way the HRPDC leverages combined resources to assist Hampton Roads jurisdictions efficiently meet federal and state requirements.

Southeast Coast Saltwater Paddling Trail Launches Website 

The 2012 study showed that we are successfully changing behaviors and that the askHRgreen.org campaign is helping localities effectively and efficiently meet their state regulatory requirements for improving the health of local waterways, recycling rates, awareness of water resources issues and sanitary sewer overflow prevention.

To consolidate multiple green outreach programs of the HRPDC, and guided by the findings of a fall 2010 online benchmark survey to gauge the region's environmental literacy, askHRgreen.org was launched in early 2011.

Last fall, EAB Research conducted a second online survey to see how the campaign was performing. Four-hundred residents of the region's 16 cities and counties participated in the study.

Areas for Improvement

 

As the Cumberland Plateau Planning District Commission celebrates its 45th year in 2013, the PDC can look back on and be proud of the many accomplishments that have happened in cooperation with its many federal, state, local and regional partners, both public and private. Since 1968, the Cumberland Plateau, through its efforts with these partners, has helped bring in over $465 million dollars in federal, state and regional funding to the region.

 

In many cases, the Cumberland Plateau has helped to bring localities together to attack problems such as solid waste management on a regional basis. Thru the formation of the Cumberland Plateau Regional Waste Management Authority, the PDC helped the Authority's member counties avoid having to develop new sanitary landfills as well as monitor in perpetuity their old landfills. A professional cost analysis was conducted recently to determine how much had been saved just on solid waste disposal through the Authority's regional transfer station system as opposed to a traditional local landfill system over the past 20 years. This study demonstrated a cost savings of $47.8 million in precious local dollars by having the regional transfer station system.

 

In other arenas, such as water and sewer system development, the PDC staff has worked with local water and sewer providers and their engineers to write hundreds of applications to successfully bring much needed grant and low-interest loan funds into the region. Without these government funds, local PSA's and towns could not have provided public water and sewer services to their customers at an affordable rate. And as an innovator in broadband and wireless 4G infrastructure deployment, the Cumberland Plateau has worked with various utilities and the Lenowisco PDC to bring high-speed broadband fiber optic and wireless 4G services to the larger seven-county Virginia Coalfields region resulting in hundreds of new higher-paying IT jobs in the area and a better quality of life.

 

Seth White, newly elected Cumberland Plateau PDC Chairman from Tazewell County, acknowledged the value of the Cumberland Plateau. "The Commission's work in bringing state-of-the-art, high-speed broadband services to the region, as well as the coming 4G wireless service, has brought the District into the 21st Century. Few other rural areas in America can match our telecommunications network."

 

Immediate Past Chairman, David Yates of Dickenson County, notes that the Cumberland Plateau PDC is approaching an amazing milestone in terms of the grant and loan funding it has assisted in providing to its communities. "I'm proud to say on behalf of my colleagues on the PDC Board of Directors that the Cumberland Plateau has helped bring nearly a half a billion dollars in federal and state funding to the District and the Coalfields region. Without the Cumberland Plateau, I don't know where we would be."

 

Danny Brown, a long-time Board member from Russell County, stated that these successes are based on cooperation. "I've rarely enjoyed anything more in my time in local government than my representation on the Cumberland Plateau. The spirit of cooperation among my friends from our member counties shows what can be accomplished when we work together."

 

Roger Rife, a long-time Board member from Buchanan County, noted the value of the Planning District. "We wouldn't have been able to build our extensive county water system without the help of the many grants received through the efforts of the Cumberland Plateau. And by working together, we've been able to provide public water at a reasonable rate to hundreds of homes and businesses in the County and the District."

 

The Cumberland Plateau Planning District Commission continued to work with its member local governments in 2012 to complete numerous economic and community development projects to benefit the citizens of Buchanan, Dickenson, Russell and Tazewell Counties. Grants prepared and/or approved in 2012, amounted to almost $19 million. These projects will result in more households in the District on public water and sewer, as well as increased employment, tourism, educational and entrepreneurial opportunities for District citizens. The PDC planning staff has over 80 years of grant writing experience and counts it as a privilege to work with our local, state and federal officials to help bring much needed grant dollars to benefit local citizens.

 

As the Planning District celebrates 45 years of cooperation, many new challenges are on the horizon that will require our communities to work together even more to efficiently provide needed services to our citizens. The Cumberland Plateau will be there to help in any way possible.

 

The Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries announces the availability of grants for fiscal year (FY) 2014 and request applications. Eligible to receive grants are Virginia localities (Counties, Cities, and Towns). The purposes of the grants are to assist localities in providing public opportunities for boating access facilities for new development or the renovation or improvements to existing public boating access facilities. For more details, go online to www.dgif.virginia.gov/boating/access/grants to download the following information:

* Public Boating Access Grants to Localities Program package
* Questions and Answers
* Accessibility Guidelines for Boating Access Facilities
* DGIF Design Standards
* Cooperator Boating Access Maintenance Requirements
* Areas of Need (for Boating Access)

Recreational boating is a popular activity and there are approximately 250,000 registered boats in Virginia. Many more boats (canoes/kayaks) that are not registered use existing facilities or are in need of additional sites. This grant program provides up to 75% of the approved project costs to construct or renovate boating access facilities for trailer or non-trailer hand launch facilities. Applications are due by October 1, 2013 and award is anticipated by January 1, 2014. Upon notice of award, the local jurisdiction will have until April 1, 2014 to sign a Cooperative Grant Agreement. Funds are provided on a reimbursement basis. For more information, contact Steve Kesler at [email protected], office phone (804) 561-1447 or cell phone (804) 840-9493.

Southside PDC secures grant funds for a new wood waste-fired biomass electric generating facility.

 

"Waste not, want not," goes the age old adage that suits the South Boston Energy Project. South Boston Energy is partnering with Halifax County Service Authority and Halifax County to turn waste, by-products and residue into a useable energy source. The benefit is twofold: the generating of needed electricity and the disposal of unneeded wastes.   The first loads of wood waste were delivered at the new power plant in March. 

 

The project is made possible by a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) from the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development prepared by Southside Planning District Commission on behalf of Halifax County. The $650,000 grant was used to construct off-site improvements to serve South Boston Energy, a 49.9 megawatt biomass-fueled power plant located on a 100-acre brownfield site near South Boston, Virginia.  The new wood-fired power plant will have the capacity to burn as much as 600,000 tons of wood waste annually to generate renewable electric energy to serve the Northern Virginia Electric Cooperative (NOVEC). 

Tractor-trailer rigs packed with wood waste are lifted high in the sky while the contents are emptied to use as fuel at the new South Boston Energy Plant, which will use renewable biofuels to generate power for customers of the Northern Virginia Electric Cooperative (NOVEC).   Photo Credit: News and Record, South Boston, VA

Biomass fuel refers to energy created from biological wastes. In this case, forest product waste. Even though the term may be unfamiliar, anyone who has used a wood stove to heat a house has used a small version of a biomass-fueled power facility.  The new power plant will utilize wood waste from local logging operations to produce the power rather than coal or natural gas.  The area has an abundance of wood waste available within a 75 mile radius of the new facility.    

 

The construction of the new power plant is employing 100 individuals and when completed later this summer will create 26 full time jobs, with fifty-one percent targeting low-to-moderate income individuals. 

 

On July 1, 2013, LENOWISCO welcomed Mr. Jimmy Adkins to the LENOWISCO team as a Regional Planner.

 

Jimmy's responsibilities include most of the projects and items which Chris Starnes formerly was the principal contact. 

These items included transportation planning related items, demographic profiles, and general water & sewer application assistance.

 

For those of you not aware, Chris left LENOWISCO in April to assume a full-time position with Gulf and Ohio Railways in Knoxville.

 

Jimmy can be reached at: 276-431-1913, ext. 16 or 276-431-2206. His  email address is:  [email protected]

  

Best Regards,

 

Skip

 

Glen "Skip" Skinner, Executive Director

LENOWISCO Planning District Commission

276-431-1913 x 22 Office

www.lenowisco.org

follow me @skip_skinner

RRPDC recently cooperated with the local chapter of the Urban Land Institute to hold a ULI Reality Check event.  More than 300 people convened at the VCU Siegel Center in May to use Lego blocks and RRPDC maps to identify future areas for residential and employment growth in the Region. Several PDC Board members participated in this event. 

 

An informative video about the event can be seen here. (Hampton Roads did a Reality Check event as well).  Thirty groups developed future land use scenarios for the RRPDC Region, and a VCU class has developed the average among the 30 different scenarios.  The first public release of the composite land use scenario will be presented at the RRPDC Board meeting on Thursday.

 

To read more about this exciting event, click here.

 

Over the last few months, the Planning District Commission has been working with the Town of Pulaski and Pulaski County to develop a Retail Feasibility Study for the Route 99 corridor. Public water and sewer is currently available within existing town limits and can support redevelopment opportunities; however, developers have recently inquired about opportunities outside of town limits, particularly within the vicinity of I-81's Exit 94 interchange.  The lack of public sewer and other existing characteristics currently limit development opportunities around the interstate.

 

In 2012, the Town of Pulaski completed a Retail Leakage Report and a Preliminary Engineering Report.  The Retail Leakage Report examined quantitative data to identify potential retail opportunity sectors.  The Preliminary Engineering Report evaluated potential infrastructure needs and associated costs with extending sanitary sewer service out to I-81's Exit 94.  

 

To determine potential opportunities along Route 99, the Planning District Commission worked closely with key Town staff to collect relevant information.  The 2012 reports, along with local data, were used to evaluate existing conditions such as: location of existing retail, undeveloped parcels, transportation system, existing market share of the Route 99 corridor, and the proximity of other businesses.  Opportunity sites were identified for new development and re-development potential.

 

Currently, over 80% of the Town of Pulaski's retail sales tax revenue is generated along the Route 99 Corridor.  Redevelopment opportunities exist downtown and new development possibilities exist around the interchange.  As the commercial anchor for the town, Route 99 is development-ready, centrally located, and easily accessible to Interstate I-81.  Over time and with careful planning, the Route 99 corridor can become a more significant asset for the Pulaski area.

 

For further information, please contact Elijah Sharp ( [email protected]), 540-639-9313, ext. 210 or Brad Mecham ([email protected]), 540-639-9313, ext. 206.   

 

On Monday, June 10, 2013, Barry Duval, President and CEO of the Virginia Chamber of Commerce, held a "Blueprint Virginia" Forum for this area (during a Farmville Area Chamber of Commerce Meeting) at Longwood University.  The event saw 100 people attend from across the region, representing both business and community leaders/officials.  During the Forum, VCC President Barry Duval, provided a four-question survey for each attendee, seeking answers to the following queries:

• What do you think are Virginia's top three priorities to remain economically competitive?
• What should be the next governor's top economic priority?
• What are your top three regional priorities?
• What additional ideas do you have to improve your region and state's economy?

The feedback from this regional forum added to the thoughts and ideas gathered across the state, in similar meetings and via the state chamber's website.

 

As the area's Planning District Commission and Regional Industrial Marketing Organization, the Commonwealth Regional Council was a co-sponsor of this regional "Blueprint Virginia" Forum.    Other co-sponsors of the event included Virginia Economic Development Partnership (VEDP), Longwood University, Hampden-Sydney College, Southside Virginia Community College, and Central Southside Community Hospital, and the Robert Russa Moton Museum.   The Farmville Area Chamber of Commerce organized and hosted the event. 

 

"Blueprint Virginia," facilitated by the Virginia Chamber of Commerce, is a statewide initiative and comprehensive effort to provide business leadership, direction and long-range economic development planning for the Commonwealth.   This initiative engages Virginia's businesses and community leaders in a long-range planning process to development a statewide strategy that will move our economy forward.  Furthermore, this will ensure Virginia's competitiveness in the global economy.  The plan will establish a comprehensive economic development strategy for a least the next 8 years. In the past several months, the Virginia Chamber of Commerce has held forums in a number of communities around the state to introduce "Blueprint Virginia" regionally and gain perspective on challenges and opportunities specific to different geographical areas of the state. 

 

In addition, the Commonwealth Regional Council has been asked to serve on this area's Regional Council for "Blueprint Virginia."  

 

The Northern Neck is currently under study by the National Park Service to be designated a National Heritage Area and promotes tourism initiatives that highlight the region's traditional industries related to agriculture and maritime business, such as Down on the Farm Tours, and Watermen's Heritage Tours.  The NNTC works closely with other programs within the NNPDC to foster environmental awareness, the use of public transportation for events, and community development.   One of the goals of the NNTC is to maintain the character of vibrant waterfront communities and assist the region's small towns to develop amenities harmonious with the area.

 

NADO's Annual Innovation Award program has honored members who have had significant and positive impacts on their regions through innovative approaches to problem solving and program delivery.   The award will be given at NADO's Annual Training Conference in August.