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The Community Foundation of the New River Valley is a public 501(c)(3) that serves Floyd, Giles, Montgomery, and Pulaski Counties and the City of Radford. The Community Foundation belongs to the citizens of the New River Valley. It provides two basic services: (1) administering endowed funds established by donors for the long-term and (2) making grants from these funds to enhance the quality of life in the New River Valley.
The Community Foundation Board of Directors, citizen volunteer leaders, oversees a pool of funds invested by community donors. The $500,000 fund is projected to exceed $1 million by the end of 2000. The Board oversees the management of these funds, all permanently invested with four local management firms.
Services provided to donors are a major Community Foundation focus. These include administering donor-advised funds, fund management and oversight, and consultation, information, and education about non-profits and charitable giving. Grant making, the Foundation's other major focus, provides funding for doable community projects all over the New River Valley. In 2000, the Foundation will award 18 grants of up to $1,000 in the fields of social services, education, community and civic affairs, arts and culture, health, libraries and museums, religion, and the conservation and preservation of natural, historical and cultural resources.
The Community Foundation's focus for 2000-2001 is grassroots leadership development. The pioneering effort called the EAGLES Program provides a year-long, 160 hour curriculum for a diverse group of 18 grassroots leaders to work on personal development, group collaborative skills, and community building. New River Valley PDC staff are working on the project, another joint effort between the Foundation and the PDC. The Foundation's Robert and Emily Stuart Grassroots Leadership Development Fund, established with a generous donation from the Stuart family, is a permanent funding source for the EAGLES program. The Foundation is seeking additional contributions to the fund to reach its goal of $250,000.
For information and to apply for grants, or for the EAGLES Program, contact: Andy Morikawa, Executive Director, The Community Foundation of the New River Valley, P. O. Box 6009, Christiansburg, VA 24068. Phone: 540-381-8999. Fax: 540-951-2990. E-mail: }[email protected]. Web site: www.cfnrv.org.
EAGLES leaders during one of seven day-long workshops, review and organize displayed ideas generated by the group. Left to right: Terry Smusz (New River Community Action), Boats Keene (Giles County parents group), Victoria Creed, in background (consultant), Mathew Mathai (Radford University), Angela Hughes (Virginia Tech YMCA), Penny Franklin (NAACP).
Main MenuPulaski County Comprehensive Plan Good progress is being made on the update to the Pulaski County Comprehensive Plan. Public input meetings have been held
throughout the County and the citizen comments from these meetings have been forwarded to the Pulaski County Planning
Commission. Digital mapping allowing overlaying of the County's future land use plan and current zoning to be considered at the Public meetings are essentially complete. The digital mapping produced by this process will result in more available information
for members of the Planning Commission and the general public. Individual members of the Planning Commission are currently working to incorporate the citizens input into the future land use plan.
Additionally, the Advanced Government Class from Pulaski County High School is working on their future land use plan concepts
which they presented to the Planning Commission on March 28, 2000. This additional outreach by the Planning Commission not
only provides another additional means of obtaining public input, but provides the students in the Advanced Government Class with
a greater understanding of the challenges faced by the Planning Commission in developing an updated Comprehensive Plan. For further information, contact Dave Rundgren, (540)639-9313, ext. 212. Main Menu
The NRVPDC has submitted a pre-application for Floyd County to the Economic Development Administration for $800,000+ in
site improvement funding for the new Floyd Regional Commerce Center. Staff also continues to work with the Floyd Planning
Commission to update their subdivision ordinance. Simultaneously, staff is working to bring the manufactured home park ordinance
into alignment. A draft of the subdivision ordinance is expected to go to the Board of Supervisors in the next month or so. For further information, contact Lydeana Martin, (540)639-9313, ext. 206. Main Menu
As reported in the last issue, pre-contract work continues on the $700,000 Community Improvement Grant
awarded by the Department of Housing and Community Development to the City of Radford for the construction
of the Women's Resource Center Transitional Housing Facility. Site and design plans have been finalized and
the project was advertised for bids on March 26. The project design is a cluster of eight apartment units plus a
common community area. The Transitional Housing Facility will target those victims of domestic violence
requiring longer periods of stay than is feasible to be provided for by an emergency shelter. Construction is
scheduled to start this summer. For further information, contact Janet McNew, (540)639-9313, ext. 202. Main Menu
The NRVPDC has just completed a feasibility study for a business incubator at the Jacksonville Center in Floyd. Given the proximity
to the Blue Ridge Parkway, the strong base of high quality artists and artisans, and the community vitality in Floyd County, a rural
cultural business incubator was found to be an ideal economic tool. The incubator is financially feasible with renovation assistance
funding. Consequently, the Planning District Commission will assist the Jacksonville Center in seeking renovation funding from
the Virginia Department of Business Assistance and from Rural Development. For further information, contact Lydeana Martin, (540)639-9313,
ext. 206. Main Menu
The Town of Glen Lyn is beginning the process of updating their Comprehensive Plan. The NRVPDC will be assisting in the process
by gathering data and compiling information. Recently, a visioning meeting was held by the Glen Lyn Planning Commission. For further information, contact Lydeana Martin, (540)639-9313, ext. 206. Main Menu The Conservation Fund and the Eastman Kodak Company are making grants available to community organizations through the Kodak American Greenways Awards Program. Through the Program, small grants (max. $2,500) are available to assist in
greenway/trail/stream corridor-related projects. The application deadline is June 1, 2000. For more information and a copy of the
application package, visit the Conservation Fund's web-site at www.conservationfund.org or call Patrick Burton at the PDC office
at (540) 639-9313 ext. 205. Main Menu Commonwealth Transportation Board Postpones Pre-Allocation Hearings The Commonwealth Transportation Board has postponed the nine regional pre-allocation hearings scheduled for
this spring so that the Board and its staff will have time to fully integrate the transportation funding legislation
passed by the 2000 General Assembly with Virginia's existing highway improvement plan. Once the Board has
determined the impacts of the new legislation and developed a corresponding financing plan, public hearings
around the State, including one in Salem, will be scheduled in the late summer or early fall. According to the Virginia Department of Transportation, postponement of the pre-allocation hearings will not
cause delays among any of the projects already in the Six Year Improvement Program. The Commonwealth Transportation Board will continue to evaluate applications for funding through the
Transportation Enhancement Program and will make those allocation/award decisions this spring. For further
information, contact Patrick Burton, (540) 639-9313, ext. 205. Main Menu New River Valley Competitiveness Center Business Incubators Do Not Stand Alone One of the most important benefits to a business occupying space in a business incubator is access to information. Often that
information is not found on the Internet or in a published item, but is in the form of experience. The New River Valley
Competitiveness Center is beginning to develop a group of mentors. These mentors will include professionals who may have special
designation in fields such as law or accounting, or be successfully retired from business. Many people have a talent that can be
beneficial to an entrepreneur. We are looking for volunteers. If you or someone you know has a particular interest in helping a
young business grow, let us know. We have made only a few contacts so far, and we would like to have as many mentors involved
as possible. Business Seminar The next business seminar will be held in early May. The topic will be hiring qualified employees using Work Keys. Patti Ryan
of New River Community College will present the program which will last about one and a half hours. Watch for the date and more
details soon. For further information on the Center, contact Wayne Carpenter (540) 633-6731. Main Menu
NRVPDC Commission Meetings are held on the fourth Thursday of every month, 7:30PM, New River Valley Competitiveness Center, 6580 Valley Center Drive, Radford, VA. All meetings are open to the public. Main Menu
All NRV jurisdictions experienced increases in their labor force between the 3rd and 4th quarters of 1999, except for Giles County. Pulaski County experienced the largest increase (1,094 persons) with Montgomery County showing the next largest increase (669 persons). During the same time period in 1998, Montgomery County experienced the largest increase (494 persons) and Giles showed the largest decrease (670 persons) in their labor force.
| AGGREGATE LABOR FORCE | ||
| Jurisdiction | 3rd Qtr 1999 | 4th Qtr 1999 |
| Floyd County | 20,069 | 20,374 |
| Giles County | 25,580 | 25,513 |
| Montgomery County | 113,567 | 114,236 |
| Pulaski County | 51,974 | 53,068 |
| Radford City | 19,868 | 20,030 |
| New River Valley | 231,058 | 233,221 |
| Source: Virginia Employment Commission. |
Only two NRV jurisdictions, Giles County and Radford City, experienced unemployment rate declines between the 3rd and 4th quarters of 1999, with Giles showing the largest decline of 0.9%. Pulaski County experienced the largest increase (1.3%). Between the 3rd and 4th quarters of 1998 all NRV jurisdictions experienced declines in their unemployment rate except for Floyd County which showed a 1.4% increase.
| AVERAGE UNEMPLOYMENT RATE | ||
| Jurisdiction | 3rd Qtr 1999 | 4th Qtr 1999 |
| Floyd County | 2.9% | 3.7% |
| Giles County | 6.4% | 5.5% |
| Montgomery County | 1.8% | 1.8% |
| Pulaski County | 4.8% | 6.1% |
| Radford City | 3.3% | 2.5% |
| New River Valley | 3.2% | 3.4% |
| Source: Virginia Employment Commission. |
Bristol Passenger Rail Capital Costs to Receive State Funding Support
Capital costs of developing passenger rail service along the Bristol to Richmond/Washington corridor were included in transportation funding legislation recently passed by the Virginia General Assembly.
The Bristol Passenger Rail funding is included among projects identified in the legislation as eligible to receive funding from a newly created Priority Transportation Fund. The legislation specifies $9.3 million for initial capital costs of developing the service. This is the same amount identified as needed for capital costs in the Phase Two Final Report of the State's Bristol Rail Passenger Study.
The Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT) studied the concept of passenger rail service in the Bristol-Richmond/Washington corridor from 1996 to 1998. A summary of the Bristol Rail Passenger Study Phase Two Final Report, as well as the complete report itself, may be found on DRPT's web-site at www.drpt.state.va.us. Main Menu
General Assembly Passes Transportation Funding Legislation
During its 2000 session, the Virginia General Assembly passed significant new transportation funding legislation which will impact transportation improvements in the State over the next several years. This legislative package provides $2.6 billion in new and accelerated funding for transportation in the Commonwealth.
The legislation (known as Senate Bill 33) establishes a Priority Transportation Fund and authorizes the Commonwealth Transportation Board to issue Federal Highway Reimbursement Anticipation Notes. Such notes will be subject to appropriation by the General Assembly and will be secured primarily by Federal highway reimbursements and other Federal highway assistance received by the Commonwealth of Virginia. The ability to issue these notes gives the Commonwealth the option of accelerated use of Federal highway funds (i.e., issuing notes in order to use future Federal highway funds in the present).
The Priority Transportation Fund will be used by the Commonwealth Transportation Board to facilitate the financing of priority transportation projects throughout Virginia. Senate Bill 33 identifies a list of projects to receive funding from the Priority Transportation Fund. New River Valley projects on this list include: Route 460 (near south limit of Blacksburg) in Montgomery County; Duncan Avenue (over Peak Creek) in the Town of Pulaski; Route 100 in Giles and Pulaski Counties; the Route 58 Corridor Development Program; and Interstate 81 Safety Improvements. Through this legislation, the General Assembly also appropriated additional funding from the State's General Fund for several transportation uses. Among these uses are specified highway projects in the Commonwealth. The State funding appropriated to highway projects is allocated to projects specified in the legislation to ensure that the listed projects have sufficient State funds available to pay the State share of project expenditures. New River Valley projects included on the specified project list are: Pepper's Ferry Road in Christiansburg, three streets in Narrows, Henson Avenue in Pearisburg, Duncan Avenue and East Main Street in the Town of Pulaski, Route 11 Memorial Bridge in Radford and Pulaski County; Route 100 in Giles and Pulaski Counties, Route 460 bridges in Giles County, three projects on Route 460 in Montgomery County; and two projects on Interstate 81 in Montgomery County and Christiansburg.
The legislation also provides funding for mass transit and airport assistance programs. For more information on this legislation, browse the State's legislative information system web-site at http://leg1.state.va.us. For further information on transportation items, contact Patrick Burton, (540) 639-9313, ext. 205. Main Menu
April 3 - Floyd PC Meeting - 7:30PM
April 4 - Blacksburg PC Meeting - 7:30PM
April 10 - Pulaski Town PC Meeting - 7:00PM
April 11 - Giles PC Meeting - 7:00PM and Pulaski PC Meeting - 7:00PM
April 14 - 11:00AM - New River Valley Regional Jail Authority - Dublin
April 17 - Radford PC Meeting - 7:00PM
April 19 - Montgomery PC Meeting - 7:00PM
April 20 - 177 Comm. - Bethel Elem - Tyler Avenue - 1:30PM
April 27 - NRVPDC Commission Meeting - 7:30PM
*Christiansburg Town PC Meetings are held on an as-needed basis, any Monday at 4:00PM Main Menu
May 2000
May 1 - Floyd PC Meeting - 7:30PM
May 2 - Blacksburg Town PC Meeting - 7:30PM
May 8 - Pulaski Town PC Meeting - 7:00PM
May 9 - Giles PC Meeting - 7:00PM and Pulaski PC Meeting - 7:00PM
May 12 - New River Valley Regional Jail Auhtority-Dublin - 11:00AM
May 15 - Radford PC Meeting - 7:00PM
May 17 - Montgomery PC Meeting - 7:00PM
May 25 - NRVPDC Commission Meeting - 7:30PM
*Christiansburg Town PC Meetings are held on an as-needed basis, any Monday at 4:00PM
The Appalachian Regional Recycling Consortium will be one of many exhibitors at the 11th Annual Environment Virginia Symposium at Virginia Military Institute on April 5 - 6, 2000.
Symposium workshops and panels include:
and much more.
For more information or to register please visit their web site at www.vmi.edu/ev or contact Pat Therrien at (540) 639-9313, ext. 204.
Main Menu"We are very pleased with interest in space for new businesses in the Competitiveness Center," stated Wayne Carpenter, Manager of the Center. "However, the success that our tenants have achieved is something to be especially proud of. I wish for everyone to come to our open house on April 12, and be prepared to be impressed."
As always the public is welcome to visit the Competitiveness Center at anytime, but the Center extends a special invitation to everyone to join them for their first anniversary. For further information contact Wayne Carpenter, Incubator Manager at (540) 633-6730 or by e-mail, [email protected] Main Menu