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RRRC Living Lands- Green Infrastructure Planning Workshop To
Be Held on Thursday, September 17
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Advance Registration Now Concluded,
Last Day To Sign Up for Planning Workshop Approaching Fast
With the number of confirmed attendees now approaching
125, and advance registration since concluded, it is nevertheless
still possible to sign up for next week's RRRC Green Infrastructure
Planning workshop, so long as you act quickly.
The full day event, to be held this coming September 17th at
the Daniel Technology Center in Culpeper, features an array
of knowledgeable speakers and informative exhibits.
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Credit:
Julie Still
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Participants will be introduced to a land management
strategy that entails the identification, assessment and protection
of natural and cultural resources as key steps in the planning process.
Speakers from the Virginia Departments of Conservation and Recreation,
Game and Inland Fisheries and Agriculture and Consumer Services, as
well as the Green Infrastructure Center, University of Maryland and
Friends of the Rappahannock will guide participants through basic
inventory and analysis procedures to actual implementation of green
infrastructure planning at urban, suburban and rural scales. The economic
benefits of green infrastructure planning and methods of implementation
financing will be also discussed.
In addition, in recognition of agriculture as an essential component
of the Rappahannock-Rapidan region's green infrastructure, and its
importance to the area economy, rural character, and quality of life,
the workshop will include a farmers' market, with producers likewise
participating in the workshop, on hand to provide information on their
operations, as well as to discuss their products, available for sale,
throughout the day.
An workshop registration brochure is available on the RRRC website
at http://www.rrregion.org,
but be sure to act quickly, as final event registration closes on
September 14th!
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2009
RRRC Annual Meeting Set for October 7 with Keynote Speaker John Quale,
LEED-AP
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With an exciting new larger venue this year and,
as always, informative speaker program, delicious and abundant
food and fellowship; not to mention, presentation of the 2009
Regional Distinguished Leadership- Citizen and Government Awards,
and ever-popular PD9 Regional Raffle, the upcoming RRRC Annual
Meeting, promises to be yet another enjoyable and standing room-only
event.
This year's meeting is set for the evening of Wednesday, October
7, at the beautiful new Sweely Estate Winery, located on Rt.
230, in Madison County, where we will be joined by 2009 Keynote
Speaker: accomplished architect, UVA Assistant Professor, and
Director of the UVA School of Architecture EcoMOD Project, John
Quale, LEED-AP, on the subject of highly energy efficient and
affordable modular housing design.
Doors open at 5:30 p.m. for the reception, including tasting
of award-winning, locally produced wines, followed by dinner,
speaker program and other activities, commencing at around 6:15
p.m. Tickets are $35.00 per person by September 28, or $45.00
thereafter.
To register, please call (540) 829-7450 or email: shromyak@rrregion.org.
We look forward to seeing you there!
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Call for Nominations: 2009 RRRC Regional Distinguished Leadership- Citizen and Government Awards
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It has been another busy and eventful year, and
the Commission, in conjunction with the upcoming Annual Meeting
asks for your assistance in helping identify candidates for
consideration as recipients of this year's annual RRRC Regional
Distinguished Leadership Awards.
Since the awards' inception back in 2007--one each for Citizen
and Government award recipients--the competitiveness of nominations
received has been truly impressive, and we have no doubt that
this is going to be an even bigger year, a function, not only
of the quantity and caliber of longtime, committed and exemplary
regional-minded leaders across PD9, but increased awareness
as well, as word of the popular annual awards has gotten out.
Do you know of a worthy candidate and champion of our beautiful
region that you would like to nominate and see possibly receive
the award at the upcoming 2009 RRRC Annual Meeting? If so, a
copy of an easy-to-fill-out nominating form can be found on
the Commission's website at http://www.rrregion.org.
The deadline for receipt of nominations, in order to allow for
review by the Awards Committee, is September 18.
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Energy Efficiency
& Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) Funding Round Shortly To Be Announced
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Funding for innovative
area energy efficiency and conservation projects, to be made available
on a statewide competitive basis, will son be made available. Within
the next few weeks, the Rappahannock-Rapidan Regional Commission,
working in collaboration with the Virginia Department of Mines Minerals
and Energy (DMME), expects to be able to announce application details
for localities interested in competing for $9.7 million in block grant
funds for energy conservation and efficiency projects across the Commonwealth,
with funding to be provided by the U. S. Department of Energy (USDOE)
under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
Along with fellow Planning District Commission (PDC) management team
and members of the Virginia Association of Planning District Commissions,
RRRC is currently working to help finalize details of the upcoming
funding application process. Once the process has been approved by
the USDOE, RRRC will work with interested member jurisdictions to
develop competitive proposals, help write and submit applications,
and as needed and called upon, render continued technical assistance
and project management, if and upon notification of grant award.
Given the anticipated high level of interest in the program, and accelerated
nature of the upcoming funding round, any interested PD9 jurisdictions
which have not already done so, are encouraged to contact the Commission
to explore possible project scenarios as soon as possible.
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Transportation Demand Management (TDM) Agency Plan
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RRRC Commuter Services, in conjunction with and through
funding from the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation
(DRPT), is working with consulting firm Cambridge Systematics, Inc.
the upcoming development of a Long-range Transportation Demand Management
(TDM) Agency Plan.
Such plans have recently been mandated by the state, and are required
of all organizations such as the Rappahannock-Rapidan Regional Commission
with an active rideshare/transportation demand management capability,
such as through the RRRC Commuter Services Program.
Upon conclusion, the agency plan will help determine future RRRC Commuter
Services programming and related efforts across the rapidly growing
region. A final plan is due for completion by December 2009.
For more information about RRRC Commuter Services and
various services offered, please visit the website at: http://www.rrcommute.org
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Area Citizen Information Meetings on Rt. 29 Corridor Study Slated for October 1 and 6
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Work is continuing on the part of a multidisciplinary
consultant team on the Rt. 29 Corridor Study, a comprehensive,
corridor planning initiative being conducted along the 219-mile
length of this important arterial corridor, running from the
intersection with I-66 at Gainesville, VA, south, to the Virginia-North
Carolina border.
In conjunction with that effort, area residents and and elected
leaders are invited to attend a series of forthcoming
Citizen Information Meetings, in order to provide input
on the preliminary recommendations by the consultants, and contribute
toward the development of what is being referred to as the Route
29 Corridor Blueprint - A Vision for the Future.
Meetings to be held for residents along the corridor within the Rappahannock-Rapidan Region are listed below. Please plan to attend the meeting that is most convenient for you. All meetings are from 5:00 - 8:00 p.m.:
- Thursday, October 1, 2009, John Barton Payne Community Room,
2 Courthouse Square, Warrenton, VA 22186
- Tuesday, October 6, 2009, Germanna Community College, Daniel
Technology Center, 18121 Technology Drive, Culpeper, VA 22701
Additional information about the study can be found on the VDOT
website at: http://www.virginiadot.org/route29
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Neighborhood Stabilization Program Funding Awarded to Fauquier County and Town of Culpeper
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On August 31, Governor Timothy M. Kaine announced the award of funding through the Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP), to be used to purchase and rehabilitate foreclosed homes and make them available for resale to low, moderate and middle-income families. As part of this program, Fauquier County was awarded $1.5 million and the Town of Culpeper was awarded $1.2 million to implement their proposed NSP projects.
Neighborhoods eligible for targeting through the NSP must exhibit concentrations of foreclosure. Fauquier County will work in three neighborhoods, one each in the communities of Warrenton, Bealeton and Remington. Culpeper has identified the neighborhoods of Meadows of Culpeper, Lakeview, and Highpoint as having foreclosure rates between 14 and 18 percent, making them eligible for the program. The initial funding allocation will be used to purchase up to three homes in each targeted neighborhood at a discount price. The homes will be rehabilitated and made available for sale to eligible families. The proceeds from the sale of these homes will be recycled into the program and made available to purchase more homes, expanding the number of homeowners that can be assisted.
For additional information about the Fauquier County or Town of Culpeper
NSP projects, please contact Cathy Zielinski (Fauquier NSP) or Bryan
Hill (Town of Culpeper NSP) respectively, at cmzielinski@rrregion.org
or bhill@culpeper.to.
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Regional Long-range Transportation Plan Development
Nearing Completion
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As part of the Statewide Multimodal Plan development initiative, VTRANS 2035, RRRC has been engaged for more than two years in a regional long-range transportation planning effort. Under direction of the RRRC Rural Transportation Technical Committee, each mode of travel - roadways, public transportation, rail, bicycle/pedestrian facilities, and airports - has been analyzed for both current and forecasted conditions. Findings from the data collection and needs assessment phase were presented at public meetings in the fall of 2008.
As the final steps in this planning process the final draft report, including conclusions and recommendations, is scheduled for completion in October 2009, with a public meeting to hear comments on the report planned for November.
The Regional Long-range Transportation Plan has been developed as
a vision plan, addressing all needs of the transportation system studied
regardless of anticipated funding availability. It will be incorporated
into the statewide VTRANS 2035 report and is intended to be used to
identify future transportation funding priorities. Additional information
about this planning process can be found at www.rrregion.org/longrangeplan.
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Town of Culpeper To Celebrate 250th Anniversary
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In follow-up to the commemoration by fellow PD9-member
jurisdiction Fauquier County earlier this year of the 250th
anniversary of its founding, the Town of Culpeper, likewise
founded in 1759, is shortly preparing to host a celebration
of its own with a grand weekend of activities, set for the weekend
of September 19 .
Among other fun-filled activities in store are a parade, garden
and art show, picnic in the park, and costume ball.
For further details about the party, and how to join in the
celebration, please visit: www.culpeper250th.org
Happy Anniversary Town of Culpeper!
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Amtrak Announces New Daily Service to Rappahannock-Rapidan
Region
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Beginning October 1, 2009,
Amtrak Virginia is set to commence new daily round-trip Northeast
Regional service between Lynchburg, Washington D.C. and points north
along the Northeast Corridor with tickets now available for purchase
at a reduced rate. The new passenger rail service - originating in
Lynchburg - includes stops in Charlottesville, Culpeper, Manassas
and Alexandria, including Virginia Railway Express connections at
Burke Center and L'Enfant Plaza allowing passengers to travel directly
from Lynchburg to destinations as far north as Boston, without having
to change trains.
For leisure travelers, this is a great way to visit sights in Virginia
without facing long highway traffic delays. Passengers who book travel
on Amtrak's Northeast Regional service now through December 16 may
take advantage of a fare promotion which offers up to 25 percent off
the lowest published coach fare. Introductory one-way fares are as
low as $12 between Culpeper and Washington, DC- Union Station.
The new service is sponsored by the Commonwealth of Virginia as part of a three-year pilot program designed to provide increased transportation options for residents of the state. The pilot program also includes new service between Richmond and the Northeast Corridor, slated to begin in December 2009.
To help kick-off the new daily service, an Inaugural Whistle Stop
Tour has been scheduled for Wednesday, September 30, with events to
take place at the Culpeper Depot beginning at 12:45pm.
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Grant Writing, Management and Related Services Available to PD9-Member Jurisdictions
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In these challenging economic
times, in which all are increasingly being required to further tighten
our belts, the Rappahannock-Rapidan Regional Commission's expertise
in identifying, applying for, and securing essential sources of outside
funding, be it in conjunction with base program allocations, competitive
grant, and/or other types of funding awards, is rapidly becoming more
critical than ever.
Commission staff, on behalf of Rappahannock-Rapidan Region member
jurisdictions, are up-to-date on both the latest sources of funding,
as well as eligibility and compliance requirements, and as such, equipped
to assist with the duties that go along with the funding and management
key area planning initiatives.
Indeed, whether it be a comprehensive Regional All-Hazard Mitigation
Plan (as mandated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency), for
example, stand-alone competitive project proposal, or enabling your
locality to extend its reach, through the provision of such compliance
assistance as the fulfillment of Davis Bacon requirements, delivery
of GIS mapping technical assistance, or conduct of LMI income eligibility
surveying and verification, etc., the Regional Commission can help.
Don't miss out on critical outside funding that may be available;
please let us know how we can be of assistance to you.
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Feedback Solicited on RRRC Website, Pending
New Distribution Options of R-R Region Information
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In addition to the RRRC
quarterly electronic newsletter, the Regional Commission website,
for those who are familiar with it, at http://www.rrregion.org
contains valuable resources for keeping abreast with Commission activities,
and our diverse and rapidly growing region. Meeting and event calendars,
an extensive list of detailed and downloadable publications, and updates
concerning important ongoing planning initiatives, are all available
online.
In an effort to provide regional stakeholders with yet additional opportunities for tracking topics of regional interest, we ask that you take a moment to share with us how best to keep you informed.
Perhaps it is via RSS feed, or as has been proposed, an upcoming new
regional blog. Or maybe it is via Facebook or other social networking
site. Regardless of how you prefer to remain informed, the Commission
can help ensure that you receive the latest information about the
Rappahannock-Rapidan Region, in the most timely way possible, and
in a format that best fits your needs.
Toward that end, please take our
short survey and let us know how we can best assist you in staying
informed about regional topics!
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Then & Now: Across the
Rappahannock-Rapidan Region
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President's
Cabin at Rapidan Camp, Madison County
Rapidan Camp, also known as Camp Hoover, is located
in the Shenandoah National Park in Madison County. The camp was originally
built as a retreat for President Herbert Hoover and his wife Lou Henry
Hoover. The photos above show the "Brown House," with the
1930s-era photo taken from the Rapidan River side of the house and
the more recent photo from the opposite side of the house. Rapidan
Camp is accessible from Skyline Drive which, incidentally, is also
approaching its anniversary (75th); namely, of the opening of the
Thornton Gap (Route 211) to Swift Run Gap (Route 33) section, which
first opened to the public on September 15th, 1934.
If you have historic postcards or photographs that you would like to see in
this feature, please contact the Regional Commission at (540) 829-7450 or planinfo@rrregion.org.
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Regional Stat: Daily Vehicle Miles Traveled
Per Capita Comparison, 2002 to 2008
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Daily Vehicle Miles Traveled
(DVMT) is a measure of traffic flow over time. Compared year by year,
the DVMT can illustrate growth in local traffic over a section of
highway over time. For jurisdictions in rural areas, such as the Rappahannock-Rapidan
region, comparing DVMT as a function of population can also provide
insight into other growth indicators, such as residential and commercial
development and their effects on average travel distances.
As the table below shows, the five counties in the Rappahannock-Rapidan region register a lower per capita DVMT in 2008 as compared to 2002 while also experiencing population growth during that same time period.
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COUNTY
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2002
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2008
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Change
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CULPEPER
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35.93
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30.81
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-5.12
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FAUQUIER
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54.49
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50.83
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-3.66
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MADISON
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40.14
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37.12
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-3.02
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ORANGE
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26.00
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23.71
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-2.29
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RAPPAHANNOCK
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38.47
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38.26
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-0.21
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REGION
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42.23
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38.25
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-3.98
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Source: Virginia Department
of Transportation, U.S. Census Bureau
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