Community First:
Harnessing Change and Building Connections
Projects and Programs:
Organizing Community, Corporate Development, Infrastructure
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The Projects and Programs
section of the plan contains two pages of projects for each component
area. To our best ability to foresee the future, these projects are
arranged in “project initiation” order. Short descriptions
of each project/program are listed to the left of the page with projected
start time and dollars needed to the right.
If you have an interest in working on any of the projects listed on the following pages or would like to learn more about them, please contact the lead agency/agencies listed following each project description. You may contact the New River Valley Planning District Commission for contact information on any of the lead agencies listed. |
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Organizing Community has components
for learning and community gathering opportunities, youth involvement,
traditional and alternative leadership development and institutional
change within it. Education in a very broad way was a driving factor
of this theme. Opportunities for groups and individuals to learn from
and with each other are crucial to appropriate and community-supported
program and project development. Changing the look of organizations
and structure of public information gathering and dissemination is also
a component of the Organizing Community theme. |
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Initial Investment |
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Regional Planners’ Forum: Create
a structure for regional planning organizations and professionals to
meet regularly to discuss and implement cooperative land use planning
strategies and projects. Lead Agency: New River Valley Planning District Commission (NRVPDC) |
Regional Land Use Planning - $15,000 |
2003 |
| Support and Promote Christiansburg Institute (CI): Develop
support and promotion plan for CI. Create partnering relationships with
local governments and agencies to fully develop and market this important
community resource. Lead Agency: Christiansburg Institute |
Support Christiansburg Institute - $100,000 |
2004 |
| Research and Publicize Non-Profits’ Contributions
to Communities: Provide accurate and documented information
about non-profit organizational contributions to New River Valley communities.
Develop mechanism for gathering this data and updating on regular basis.
Seek publication sources throughout the region for information dissemination. Lead Agencies: Community Foundation of the New River Valley (CFNRV), NRVPDC, Radford University Business Technology Center (RU-BTC), Virginia Tech (VT), Partners for Sef Sufficiency - regional Social Service Depts. (PSS) |
Research/Publicize Non-Profit
Contributions - $50,000 |
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| Community-wide Viewshed Identification: Identify
and rank viewsheds in the region. Lead Agencies: New River Land Trust, Regional Planners’ Forum |
Community Viewshed ID - $20,000 | |
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Organizing Community Projects and Programs (Continued)
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Initial Investment |
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| Community Awareness Workshops
for Elected Officials and Corporate Leaders: Establish
short course for elected officials and corporate leaders highlighting
community development issues and opportunities. Lead Agency: NAACP, Partners for Self-Sufficiency, Local Governments and Industrial Dev. Authorities |
Community Awareness Workshops - $20,000 |
2004 |
| Youth Leadership Recognition Program:
Create award/program that recognizes and rewards youth leadership efforts
in the civic and business sectors of the region. Lead Agency: Technology Magnet School Board - Superintendent Task Force |
Youth Leadership Recognition Program - $10,000 |
2005 |
| Education for Leadership: Coordinate
leadership resources in the region and adapt model for impactful leadership
training in the New River Valley. Include follow-up assessment of community
engagement following training. Lead Agencies: Local Leadership groups, RU-BTC, Virginia Tech, Chambers |
Education for Leadership - $100,000 |
2006 |
| Youth Leadership Training -
civic and business: Provide hands-on training and mentoring
opportunities through business and civic organizational partners in
the program. |
Youth Leadership Training - $50,000 | |
| Regional Coordination within/between
Government Agencies: Develop mechanisms for greater communication
and coordination between government and regional agencies of the New River
Valley. Lead Agencies: Local Governments, NRVPDC |
Regional Coordination within
and between Gov. Agencies - $10,000 |
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| Strengthen Montgomery County Human
Services Commission (MCHSC): Create opportunities for regional
and local human service agencies to gather and exchange information and
resources. Lead Agencies: MCHSC, Partners for Self-Sufficiency, United Way |
Strengthen MCHSC - $45,000 | |
| Quarterly Agency/Community Sessions:
Create structure for human service agencies and concerned/impacted
citizens to gather regularly to discuss human service delivery issues
and strategize opportunities for improvement. Lead Agency: Partners for Self-Sufficiency |
Quarterly Agency/Community Sessions
- $25,000 |
2007 |
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Corporate Development focus is capacity for team building within the private, public, and nonprofit sectors. This leg of our community reclaims the group or organization meaning in the term corporate. The projects identified here include organizational development opportunities and support systems for governments, agencies, organizations, businesses, and community groups within the New River Valley. |
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Initial Investment |
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| Local Philanthropy (time,
talent and resources): Create educational and promotional
materials to engage New River Valley citizens about local investment.
Create sense of local ownership and responsibility about our community
development. Lead Agencies: CFNRV, Corporate Research Center |
Local Philanthropy- $30,000 |
2003
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| Youth Participation on Established Councils,
Committees and Boards: Create formal opportunities for youth
to participate in meaningful ways on community boards and commissions. Lead Agencies: Local Community Boards and Commissions, NRVPDC Education Committee |
Youth Participation on Established
Councils, Committees and Boards - $5,000 |
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| Regional Water and Sewer Planning:
Using Planner’s Forum, create strategies for regional cooperation
in water and sewer planning and development. Lead Agencies: Regional Planners’ Forum, NRVPDC, Local Public Service Authorities, Virginia Tech |
Regional Water and Sewer Planning
- $200,000 |
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| VT KnowledgeWorks:
Create and administer program for effective technology transfer within
the university. Lead Agency: Virginia Tech Foundation |
VT KnowledgeWorks Phase I and II - $9 Million |
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| Regional Educational Services
- regional trade school, regional alternative school, regional AP
program, support Governor’s and Magnet schools: Maximize
educational resources through regional coordination of specialty education
opportunities. Support current regional educational institutions. Lead Agencies: NRVPDC Education Committee, Technology Magnet School Board |
Regional Educational Services - $10,000 |
2004 |
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Corporate Development Projects and Programs (Continued)
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Initial Investment |
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| Improve Land Use Planning:
Using Planner’s Forum, create strategies for improved and collaborative
land using planning across the region. Lead Agencies: NRVPDC, Regional Planners’ Forum |
Improve Land Use Planning - $125,000 |
2004 |
| Strengthen Non-profit Corporate Governance:
Develop and support organizational development model that
fits needs and vision of non-profit sector in the region. Lead Agencies: CFNRV, RU-BTC |
Strengthen Non-profit Governance
- $50,000 |
2005
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| Regional Leadership Organization: Create
formal regional leadership forum to provide opportunities for business,
non-profit, civic and public organizations. Lead Agencies: RU Leadership Group, Chamber Coalition |
Regional Leadership Organization
- $100,000 |
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| EAGLES Leadership Programming
Across Sectors: Expand non-traditional leadership training
and targeting to all sectors of the community to promote concept of
personal development as the path to community development. |
EAGLES Leadership Program - $200,000 |
2006 |
| Evaluate and Implement Comprehensive
Service Delivery Programs: Using higher education partners,
evaluate innovations in human service delivery programs and create pilot
programming for the region. Lead Agencies: Partners for Self-Sufficiency, Center for Innovative Leadership |
Evaluate Service Delivery - $200,000 |
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| FirstWorks: Mentoring/supporting
new technology graduates through process of developing new businesses
in the region. Lead Agency: New River Valley Development Corporation (NRVDC) |
FirstWorks - $500,000 | |
| Open Space Conservation:
Identify and invest in protection of important natural resource areas
in the region. Lead Agencies: New River Land Trust, DCR |
Open Space Conservation - $5
M |
2007 |
| Niche Development for Downtowns:
Define downtown niches for cooperative marketing of unique development
characteristics of NRV downtowns. Lead Agencies: Local Downtown Development Groups, Regional Planners’ Forum |
Niche Marketing for Downtowns
- $125,000 |
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Infrastructure has a focus on making our cultural and natural ideas/resources work for us. It houses projects that are the “traditional” version of infrastructure including utilities, transportation, and structural infrastructure needs. Additionally, the theme is home to ideas and projects about conservation and collaborative planning. Our infrastructure is what we build and what we protect - the balance of these is critical to meeting the overall land use needs and goals for us all. |
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Initial Investment |
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| Regional Sewer Expansion:
Strategic sewer infrastructure development and funding. Lead Agencies: Peppers Ferry PSA, Blacksburg/VPI PSA |
Regional Sewer Expansion - $60 M |
2003
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| Business Technology Center - RU: Develop
and market technology center at RU. Lead Agency: RU Real Estate Foundation |
Business Technology Center -
$4 M |
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| North Dublin Water and Sewer: Expand
water and sewer to North Dublin and Commerce Park development area. Lead Agency: Virginia’s First Regional Industrial Facilities Authority (VFRIFA) |
Dublin Water and Sewer - $12M |
2004
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| Regional Trail Network: Develop
regional task force to map and prioritize trail improvements necessary
to fully link the New River Valley trail systems. Lead Agences: Pathways (Radford), Friends of the Huckleberry, DCR |
Connect Trails Regionally - $200,000 |
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| Telecommunication Infrastructure/Expand
Blacksburg Electronic Village (BEV)-like Programs in NRV:
Develop regional telecommunication organization to assess telecommunication
needs and opportunities in the New River Valley. Seek funding and support
for expanding appropriate services throughout the region. Lead Agency: BEV |
Telecommunication Infrastructure
- $300,000 |
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| ID Key Land for Conservation:
Assess open lands in the region and identify those most critical for conservation
using effective and supported evaluation mechanisms. Lead Agencies: New River Land Trust, Regional Planners’ Forum |
ID Land for Conservation - $50,000 |
2005 |
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Infrastructure Projects and Programs (Continued)
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Initial Investment |
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| Regional Educational
Facilities/Regional Training Center -youth and adult: Coordinate
with educational organizations to support adult training and non-traditional
youth education through regional cooperation. Lead Agencies: NRVPDC Education Committee, Superintendent of Schools |
Regional Educational Facilities - $10 Million |
2006
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| Regional Water Supply: Promote
regional water system planning and collaborative development activities. Lead Agency: Regional Water Resource Authorities |
Regional Water Supply - $20 M
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| Business Technology Park - RU:
Develop and market technology park at RU. Lead Agency: RU Real Estate Foundation |
Business Technology Park - $75
M |
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| Water Resource Protection:
Assess and develop plan for protection of regional water sources and
watersheds |
Water Resource Protection - $500,000 |
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| Regional Public Transportation:
Support development and implementation of regional public transportation
program. Lead Agency: Transportation Advisory Committee |
Regional Public Transportation
- $5 M |
2007
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| Regional Historic Sites Marketing:
Identify regional historic sites and collaborative map and
market them. Lead Agencies: Regional Planners’ Forum, New River Historical Society |
Historic Site Map/Marketing - $50,000 | |
| Youth Entrepreneurial Center: Create
entrepreneurial training and practice center for area youth. Lead Agencies: NRVDC, Technology Magnet School |
Youth Entrepreneurial Center
- $400,000 |
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| Regional Civic/Convention Center:
Create event/conference center to provide space for large attractions
and events. Lead Agency: VFRIFA |
Region Civic/Convention Center
- $50 Million
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2008 |
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