2015 Annual Report

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2014/15 A n n uA l R e p o RttHe ReGIonAl SpotlIGHt FoR CollABoRAtIon

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RoA n o K e VA l l e y - A l l e G H A n yReGIonAl CoMMISSIon

MEMBER GOVERNMENTS

CONTENTS

SECTiON PAgEChair Remarks..........................4Financial Report and Staff........ 5Broadband Authority .............. 6RiDESolutions........................... 8Transportation Planning ........10Workforce Development........ 12Local Assistance.......................14Livable Roanoke Valley........... 15Blueways .................................. 16greenways.............................. 17Research and Tech Support....182015/16 Work Program.......... 22Regional images..................... 23

Front Cover Photo: Terry AldhizerVisit terryaldhizer.com for prints

ALLEghANy COUNTyThe honorable Shannon CoxThe honorable Richard L. ShullJohn Strutner

BOTETOURT COUNTyKathleen guziErin hendersonThe honorable Billy Martin, Sr. The honorable John Williamson, iii

CiTy OF COViNgTONJ.B. BroughmanThe honorable Bill Zimmerman

CiTy OF ROANOKEThe honorable Bill BestpitchThe honorable David BowersMatt BullingtonThe honorable Ray FerrisChris MorrillBraxton Naff

CiTy OF SALEMThe honorable Lisa garstThe honorable Jane JohnsonThe honorable Bill Jones Melinda Payne

CRAig COUNTyClay goodman, iiiThe honorable Martha Murphy

FRANKLiN COUNTyThe honorable Bob Camicia The honorable Mike SmithThe honorable Ronnie ThompsonThe honorable Charles WagnerChris Whitlow

ROANOKE COUNTyTom gatesThe honorable Kevin hutchinsDean MartinThe honorable Joe McNamaraThe honorable Charlotte MooreJ. Lee E. Osborne

TOWN OF CLiFTON FORgEDarlene BurchamThe honorable Johnette Roberts

TOWN OF ROCKy MOUNTThe honorable Bobby CundiffJames Ervin

TOWN OF ViNTONThe honorable Bradley E. groseChris Lawrence

LiAiSON MEMBERS (NoN-VotiNg)

Beth DoughtyRoanoke Regional Partnership

Teresa hammondAlleghany Highlands Chamber of Commerce & Tourism

Landon howardRoanoke Valley Convention and Visitors Bureau

Caroline goodeRoanoke County Chamber of Commerce

Dr. John RainoneDabney S. Lancaster Community College

Dr. Robert SandelVirginia Western Community College

Joyce WaughRoanoke Regional Chamber of Commerce

Commission members and LoCaL Governments

(July 2014- June 2015 )

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RoAnoKe VAlley-AlleGHAny ReGIonAl CoMMISSIon

Clifton Forge

Covington

Alleghany County

Craig County

Botetourt County

Roanoke County

SalemRoanoke Vinton

Franklin County

Rocky Mount

BedfordCounty (Member of MPO)Montgomery County

(Member of MPO)

Sources: Esri, DeLorme, NAVTEQ, USGS, Intermap, iPC, NRCAN, Esri Japan, METI, EsriChina (Hong Kong), Esri (Thailand), TomTom, 2013

Roanoke Valley-Alleghany Region

4

Roanoke Valley Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO)2040 Boundary

Franklin County 2013 Population: 56,574

692 Square Miles(includes Rocky Mount)

Botetourt County2013 Population: 33,423

543 Square Miles

Town of Vinton2012 Population: 8,087

3.2 Square Miles

Roanoke County 2013 Population: 92,703

251 Square Miles(includes Vinton)

City of Salem2013 Population: 25,274

14.6 Square Miles

City of Roanoke2013 Population: 98,913

42.9 Square Miles

Craig County2013 Population: 5,305

331 Square Miles

Alleghany County2013 Population: 15,961

445 Square Miles(Includes Clifton Forge)

City of Covington2013 Population: 6,259

5.7 Square Miles

Town of Clifton Forge2012 Population: 3,900

3.1 Square Miles

2013 Region:334,412 People

2325 Square Miles

Town of Rocky Mount2012 Population: 4,813

6.5 Square Miles

Sources: Cities and Counties-Weldon CooperCenter for Public Service, 2014. Towns: US Census Bureau 2008-2012ACS Estimates. 2014


leAdInG tHRouGH CollABoRAtIon And StRAteGy wItHIn ouR CoMMunItIeS on ISSueS tHAt ARe CRItICAl to tHe eConoMIC

GRowtH, quAlIty oF lIFe, And tHe SuStAInABIlIty oF ouR ReGIon

Below is a list of some regional pro-jects that the Commission staff as-

sisted with. Further details about each of these can be found in the Annual Report and at rvarc.org:

• Update of the regional Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy

• Coordination of a grant application for a regional Broadband Planning Initiative for the Counties of Alleghany, Botetourt and Craig, the City of Covington and the Town of Clifton Forge

• Roanoke River Blueway mapping and promotion

• Regional Food System Planning project

• Coordination of the Blue Ridge Interagency Council on Homelessness

• Establishing a partnership with the Western Virginia Workforce Development Board that brought the Board’s operations into the Regional Commission

Every year, the Commission pro-vides local technical assistance to

our communities. Below are some pro-jects we have been working on:

• Boones Mill Comprehensive Plan and CDBG grant application

• Update of Botetourt County’s Comprehensive Plan

• Assisted Franklin County in assessing alternatives unmanned waste facilities

• Demographic data in support of the City of Roanoke’s new Comprehensive Plan

• Craig County Solid Waste Management Plan

• Clifton Forge Zoning maps• City of Covington Recreational

Trails Application• Alleghany County Solid Waste

Management Plan• Botetourt County Strategic Trail

Plan• Assistance to the City of Salem

in developing a plan for the downtown area

The Commission staff also serves as the planning staff for the Roanoke

Valley Transportation Planning Or-ganization and RIDE Solutions, the multi-regional transportation demand program that promotes ridesharing, public transit and alternative transpor-tation

Below are a few of the transportation projects undertaken in the past program year:

• Started the technical process to update the regional long-range transportation plan (LRTP). The LRTP 2040 will continue on and be completed in FY 16.

• Completed the final phase of the Western Virginia Intermodal Facility Study

• Completed a Pedestrian Vision Plan for the Roanoke Valley

• Worked with West Piedmont Workforce Development Board to incorporate the Martinsville and Danville region into the RIDE Solutions program

R e M A R K S F Ro M t H e C H A I R

As my time as Chair of the Regional Commis-

sion draws to a close, i’ve been thinking about the strong support provided by the eleven counties, cities and towns the Commission serves. The Commission was able to accomplish a num-ber of projects this past year because of our local govern-ment’s elected officials and their staff members. Some of our projects have been on-going, such as our work

with the Roanoke Valley Broadband Authority, while other projects were able to be completed in a year or less.

The projects highlighted could not have been pursued with-out the great work of the Regional Commission’s staff. They

are a talented group of professionals that are passionate about the work they do for our member governments. With-out the staff’s dedication, the Commission could not handle the many projects we are requested to undertake each year.

Finally, i want to express my sincere appreciation to each representative serving on the Commission. you are all very busy with so many things, and yet, you are willing to attend the Commission’s monthly meetings. Thank you for your service to your community and the region by participating on the Regional Commission. i feel extremely fortunate to be serving Salem at a time when the spirit of cooperation and working together has never been greater in our region. i have enjoyed getting to know all of our Commission mem-bers and local government leaders and look forward to what lies ahead for our Regional Commission and Transportation Planning Organization.

Chair Jane Johnson

Jane Johnson


F Ro M t H e C H A I RReMARKS

FRoM tHe eXeCutIVe dIReC toR

Regional Commission staff (left to right) matt miller, eddie Wells, Jackie Pace, Jeremy Holmes, Bryan Hill, Cristina finch, Wayne strickland,

shane sawyer, Jake gilmer, olivia Dooley, mark mcCaskill, tyler godsey

Every year, the Regional Commission receives the help of interns, volunteers, and supporters who help play critical roles in the work we do. This year, we were honored to have: Scot Bellavia, Allison Homer, and Dale Saylor assist the staff in various capacities. We’d like to thank each of them for their efforts and offer a hearfelt thanks to the many other volunteers and supporters that may be unnamed, but are no less appreciated. Thank you.

Each year our staff is called upon to assist our member governments in

pursuing some complex regional and local projects. As the landscape of federal, state and local government re-quirements change, our communities need to address these requirements and often they turn to the Regional Commission staff to provide assis-tance. For example, our transporta-tion planning staff was busy last year determining how house Bill 2 (a State transportation funding program) might impact our local governments.

Additionally, the staff has worked closely with local governments to help them better understand the intent of hB2 and issues associated with it, such as the importance of having Urban De-velopment Areas (UDAs) in local com-prehensive plans. We envision that the information shared with our member governments will allow the region to obtain funding for several transporta-tion-related projects.

The Commission’s staff recognizes the importance of sharing “best practices” with other organizations. The work that they have accomplished has generated much interest outside our region. in fact, the Commission and the Trans-portation Planning Organization (TPO)

have been recognized by federal, state and professional groups. here is a list-ing of several awards given to our staff:

• Excellence in Regional Transporta-tion Award from the National Associ-ation of Development Organizations for the Roanoke Valley TPO’s Con-gestion Management Plan.

• 2015 governor’s Transportation Safe-ty Award for RiDE Solutions’ Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety Program.

• Excellence in Regional Transporta-tion Award from the National Associ-ation of Development Organizations for RiDE Solutions 2014 Sustainable Transportation Summit.

i think that the awards the staff re-ceived clearly shows the high level of professionalism and a sincere interest in the field of planning. Our staff brings this planning expertise to our work with member governments, federal/state agencies and the organizations we work with in our greater region. The Commission’s staff is truly a group of talented and creative folks.

Wayne StricklandExecutive Director

2014/2015 FinanCiaL report

Revenue, Grants and Appropriations

Federal Grants and Appropriations $ 576,603

State Grants and Appropriations 363,630

Local Grants and Appropriations 273,749

Contract Income 79,402

Other 19,968

totaL revenues $1,313,352

expenses

Personnel 958,024

Contract Services 123,727

Operations & Other Expenditures 233,747

totaL expenses $1,315,498

Federal Funding breakdown

Regional Transportation Programs 473,799

Appalachian Regional Commission 67,058

Dept of Environmental Quality 35,746

totaL FederaL FundinG $576,603

Federal Grants and

Appropriations44%

State Grants and

Appropriations28%

Local Grants and

Appropriations21%

Inkind Contributions

0%

Contract Income

6% Other1%

Sources of Revenue


Frank smith, new broadband authority exeCutive direCtor

Frank Smith, a Pennsy lvania

native and Ro-anoke resident spent nearly three decades in the tel-ecommunications industry working for the private and public sectors. A

majority of that time was spent in the federal, state and local markets.Smith will provide the Broadband Author-ity closer oversight of the project as it moves forward. Once the fiber has been laid in late 2015, he will play a key role in finding service providers.

Mr. Smith and regional officials are focused on providing a broadband in-frastructure that supports the growing demand for fiber from businesses and institutions like the Virginia Tech Caril-

ion School of Medicine and Research. Doing so will ensure our region’s eco-nomic vitality and their long term suc-cess.

The current fiber network service area lies within 1,000 feet of 3,500 businesses, employing an estimated 74,000 workers. Only 8% of the Roa-noke region has access to fiber versus the national average of 24%. in cities like Chattanooga, over 50% of the re-gion has access to speeds over 1gbps. in Roanoke, that figure is 4.5%.

This infrastructure will not only help attract outside businesses to the val-ley, but will help existing companies grow and stay in the region. high speed broadband is critical in allowing the region to compete effectively in the global economy.

50 miLe network oF Fiber to be operationaL in earLy 2016

In June of 2015, the Roanoke Valley Broadband Authority accepted a $2.9

million bid from Utility Services Con-tractors Inc. to install 50 miles of fiber to address regional gaps in high speed internet.

Thompson & Litton, a Wise-based en-gineering firm that designed the project and obtained the required municipal permits to lay down the fiber, recom-mended the low bidding firm from South Carolina after receiving 4 other bids.

In August, the firm began installing

conduit. In September, fiber was pro-cured and is now being installed into the network. The installation of conduit and fiber is expected to be complete in December of 2015, with the network becoming operational sometime in early 2016.

Broadband Authority Executive Direc-tor Frank Smith stated, “Members of the government, business, and educa-tion community are actively involved in discussions with the RVBA to plan drops and future service requirements once the network is fully operational.”

RoA n o K e VA l l e yBRoAdBAnd AutHoRIt y

rvba board members

Kevin S. BoggessCity of Salem- Chair

tom Gates Roanoke County

Kathleen d. GuziBotetourt County

Michael McevoyCitizen- Vice Chair

Christopher p. MorrillCity of Roanoke

Contact Frank Smith [email protected]

Estimated date

installation of 50 mile

network will be complete

Frank Smith hired as

Executive Director for Broadband Authority

Utility Services

Contractors hired to

install 50 miles of

HIGHSPEEDROANOKE.NET

Network operational

Jun2015

deC 2015

auG 2015

earLy 2016

frank smith


BRoAdBAnd AutHoRIt y

FrequentLy asked questions

The Broadband Authority is in the process of engineering a 50 mile

network in the Valley that will serve business parks, large institutions, gov-ernment facilities, and businesses. This network will be operated as an open-access network by an experi-enced, carrier-grade operator, and is expected to be operational by 2016.

what is an open-access network?The fiber network will be owned by the RVBA, but broadband service will be provided by a number of qualified service providers. With one “wire” to the customer, multiple providers can compete to deliver services using the same infrastructure. For example, the Roanoke-Blacksburg Regional Airport allows multiple private airlines to use

the facility, and you can choose the flight or service you need. it does not make sense to require each airline to build their own airport to enter the market.

don’t we already have broadband in the roanoke valley?yes. There are several fiber networks in the Roanoke Valley and several companies that can potentially pro-vide you with access to broadband ser-vices. The Roanoke Valley Broadband Authority believes there should be more alternatives at a more affordable price, and is focused on an economic development, quality of life, and ser-vice based model, rather than a profit driven model.

Can i get broadband service from the rvba?The Authority is in the construction stage of a 50 mile fiber network that will likely be completed by 2016. We hope to make service available to busi-nesses, governments and institutions by early 2016.

will i be able to get residential broadband service from the rvba?it is unlikely that service will be avail-able for residential customers. As we work with service providers, options for residential service in the Roanoke Valley will likely increase. The RVBA does not want to directly compete in the residential market.

The RVBA recognizes that provider choice is currently limited in the Roa-noke Valley. Eighty-nine percent of Ro-anoke MSA residents have two or less providers to choose from. Nationally, this number is 45%. in other words, 55% of the nation has more than two providers to choose from, while only 11% of the Roanoke Valley has more than two providers to choose from. We realize that the lack of competition adversely affects price and service.

where will the fiber network be in-stalled?The map above represents the approx-imate location of new fiber being in-stalled. The City of Salem already has a fiber network which will connect to the new fiber. There are over 3,500 businesses with more than 74,000 employees within 1,000 feet of the network. Last mile connections will be built into contract service charges and the network is expected to ex-pand as revenue is reinvested.

RoAnoKe VAlley BRoAdBAnd AutHoRIt y

!(

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Valley View Hut

Higher Ed Center

Blue Ridge TV

MBC Hut

Salem

Roanoke Valley Broadband Authority

Fiber NetworkBuried Fiber

Aerial Fiber

City of Salem Fiber

POP

µ 0 1 2 3 4 50.5MilesSeptember 2015

For more information, visithighspeedroanoke.net


RIde SolutIonSConneCtInG tHe ReGIon’S CoMMuteRS

ChanGe your perspeCtive CampaiGn wins Governor’s virGinia transportation

and saFety award

in June of 2015, RiDE Solutions’ Change your Perspective Campaign

was awarded the Virginia governor’s Transportation and Safety Award for Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety.

The campaign was designed to increase safety for both cyclists and motorists and reduce accident rates by educating both cyclists and drivers about the laws and rules of the road.

The Roanoke Valley has been recog-nized as one of the best places in the country to ride a bike – not only for ex-ercise but also for transportation. With more cyclists on the road in the spring, there’s an increase in the possibility of accidents with cars.

The Roanoke Valley has increased on-road bicycle accommodations by over 600% in the last five years. Recent cen-

sus data shows a 150% increase in the number of people who cite a bicycle as their main source of transportation.

The campaign includes five illustrated posters reminiscent of transportation in a bygone era, each showing different bicycle-vehicle perspectives. in addi-tion, a Bike Safety PSA was produced with RVTV3 and the National Park Ser-vice, and an incident Reporting Tool was developed to gather more data on incidents in our region.

This couldn’t have been done without the support of our regional sponsors: Carilion Clinic, Virginia Tech, First Team Subaru, Neathawk Dubuque & Packett, 101.5 The Music Place, the City of Ro-anoke, Roanoke Natural Foods Co-Op, East Coasters Bike Shop, and Roanoke Outside.

WWW.RIDESOLUTIONS.ORG

ride soLutions expands into west piedmontRiDE Solutions is excited to an-nounce that a partnership with the West Piedmont Workforce invest-ment Board (WPWiB) will bring its free commuter service program to the greater Martinsville and Dan-ville area. The program will serve the West Piedmont Workforce in-vestment Board’s entire region in-cluding Danville, Pittsylvania Coun-ty, Martinsville, henry County and Patrick County.Learn more at ridesolutions.org/changeyourperspective


Connecting the Region’s Commuters

ARt By BuS

Art By Bus is a multifaceted col-laboration with Valley Metro, the

Roanoke Arts Commission, and RIDE Solutions aimed at using art and perfor-mance to encourage transit ridership in March.

Poet, Melanie Almeder, rode the bus for 30 days and created a book of po-ems about her experience called, In Transit. The Starline Performance Se-ries features musicians on the Trolley. Bus wraps featuring the City’s art collection were also in-stalled.

SuStAInABle tRAnSpoRtAtIon SuMMIt

This year’s Summit featured presenta-

tions from VT Trans-portation Institute on driverless vehicles, the

Roanoke Refuggee Resettlement Pro-gram, regional transit planning, and in depth discussions on research and data analysis in transportation planning.

Held at the VT Carilion School of Medicine, the event seeks to bring to-gether planners, community leaders, and researchers to explore the impact of transportation and it’s importance in regional sustainability.

ReCyCled RACeRS

The Recycled Racers event was held at the Earth

Day Festival in Wasena Park this year. Par-ticipants used everything from recycled bike parts to cat litter buckets to build their own racers.

The event embraces creativity in think-ing about our mobility while encour-aging community leaders, local busi-nesses and organizations to promote alternatives to driving alone. The event is scheduled to return next year.

Justin Pinckney

Chris heslin

Presenters Tim Cerebe and Amar Bhattarai



The Clean Com-mute Challenge

for 2015 was a great success, with a re-cord amount of miles and trips logged.

We can’t say enough about how great our

clean commuters were this year, with both teams and individuals racking up the highest number of clean miles we’ve ever seen. how did we perform? Check it out:

52,262

Miles Logged

2,421

Trips Logged

2,000

Gallons Of Gas Not Burned

41,809

Lbs Of Greenhouse

Gas Removed

$5,000

Gas Savings

40%

Non-Commute Total Trips

Logged

After 5 years, RIDE Solutions Bike Shorts Film Festival has grown

into a multi regional festival that brings togeth-er film-makers from through-out the region and around the globe. Vancou-ver, the UK, Hong Kong, Is-rael, and India

are just a few of the countries to have been represented.

The Bike Shorts Film Festival pre-miere at the Grandin Theatre this year, marking its rapid growth in the region. In addition, the Bike Shorts film was featured at the Lynchburg’s Academy of Fine Arts and in Blacks-burg’s famed Lyric Theatre.

The Night Rider’s Ball, featuring Cabi-net, The Pimps of Joytime and Ripe-

jive was held at Martins Downtown. The new venue enabled us to draw 300+ cyclists and clean commuters from around the region, tri-pling our attendance from previous years. Heading into its 5th year, the Night Rider’s

Ball is becoming one of our biggest Bike Month events.

M A G A Z I N E

BLUE RIDGE

Sponsored By

RIDE SOLUTIONS PRESENTS A BIKE MONTH EVENT

PREMIERING AT THE GRANDIN THEATER THIS SPRING FRIDAY MAY 1, 2015 TICKETS $12 (includes concession)

RECEPTION 6:00 SCREENING 7:00RIDESOLUTIONS.ORG/BIKESHORTS

M A G A Z I N E

BLUE RIDGE

Sponsored By

RIDE SOLUTIONS PRESENTS A BIKE MONTH EVENT

A FILM “5th ANNUAL BIKE SHORTS FILM FESTIVAL ”PREMIERING AT THE GRANDIN THEATER THIS SPRING MAY 1, 2015

RIDESOLUTIONS.ORG/BIKESHORTS

2015 Audience Choice-grandin Winnerhank Ebert

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RoA n o K e VA l l e y tRAnSpoRtAtIonplAnnInG oRGAnIZAtIon

BedFoRd CountyThe honorable Bill Thomasson

BotetouRt CountyThe honorable Billy MartinThe honorable Todd Dodson

RoAnoKe CountyThe honorable Al BedrosianThe honorable Charlotte Moore

MontGoMeRy CountyThe honorable Annette Perkins

CIty oF RoAnoKeThe honorable Bill BestpitchThe honorable Ray Ferris

CIty oF SAleMThe honorable Lisa garstThe honorable Jane Johnson

town oF VIntonThe honorable Doug AdamsThe honorable Janet Scheid

GReAteR RoAnoKe tRAnSIt CoMpAny (VAlley MetRo)Carl Palmer

RoAnoKe-BlACKSBuRG ReGIonAl AIRpoRt Efren gonzalez

VIRGInIA dept. oF RAIl & puBlIC tRAnSpoRtAtIonNeil Sherman

Vdot–SAleM dIStRICtKen King

non-VotInG MeMBeRSKevin JonesFederal Highway Administration

Ryan Long Federal transit Administration

J. Lee E. Osborne Roanoke Valley-Alleghany Regional Commission

house biLL 2, the LonG ranGe

transporation pLan and the road ahead

Our regional transportation plan-ning process is an interconnected

system of mutually supportive plans, priorities and processes. The ultimate goal is a decision support system which helps regional leaders make wise de-cisions with regards to investments in transportation infrastructure. The TPO coordinates the develpment of the Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP), Transportation improvement Plan (TiP), Congestion Management Plan, Regional Pedestrian and Transit Vision Plans, and RVTPO projects for house Bill 2, the new framework used for statewide project selection and pri-oritization.

The TPO staff’s effort to engage the public and stakeholders through reg-ular blog postings, social media and various online surveys have helped to broaden our public outreach. Online outreach alone may not engage all seg-ments of our communities. in order to better address these gaps, the TPO staff is working with a Master Degree candidate at Virginia Tech to develop a new Environment Justice framework. This is a good example of how we en-gage with our neighboring Universities and broader regional partners.

Thanks to our decision to pursue an Ozone Early Action Plan (EAP) in 2002-03, the Roanoke Valley has maintained our good air quality that falls within attainment of federal standards. As a result, LRTP is on a 5-year update cycle instead of the 4-year cycle that applies to other Transportation Management Area (TMA) TPOs in Virginia. This extra year will allow us to partner with VDOT and their consultant Parsons Brinker-hoff to update our regional travel de-mand model starting in Fy 2015 and continuing through Fy 2016. The new model will add a transit mode choice element and other enhancements that advance us to the next level technically.

This past year has been about inno-vation and hard work towards real progress in planning for a multimodal transportation system that moves our region forward. Collaboration between our staff, our partners, and our regional stakeholders to enhance our position and competitiveness is a critical part of this process and effectively positions the TPO to compete with Virginia’s other major urban areas.

plAnnInG oRGAnIZAtIon

wHAt IS HouSe BIll 2 (HB2)?

House Bill Two (HB2) is about investing limited tax dollars in the right projects that meet the most critical transportation needs in Virginia. At the heart of the

new law is scoring projects based on an objective process that involves public engage-ment and input. Once projects are scored, the Commonwealth Transportation Board (CTB) will have the best information possible to select the right projects for funding.

TPO staff have helped local governments, transit agencies and other regional part-ners adjust to the new HB2 framework. While the process of scoring projects and competing for funds is shifting, we expect HB2 will enable the TPO Board to more successfully secure funding and program transportation projects.

tpo poLiCy board members

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bus stop aCCessibiLity study reCeives transportation pLanninG

exCeLLenCe award From FederaL aGenCies

The U.S. Department of Transpor-tation’s Federal highway Admin-istration and Federal Transit Ad-

ministration (FTA) jointly announced the Roanoke Valley-Alleghany Regional Commission as one of this year’s eight Transportation Planning Excellence Award recipients.

The RVARC’s “Bus Stop Accessibility Study” was recognized as a national ex-ample of addressing the link between pedestrian and transit, and developing new ways to determine, evaluate and compare bus stop activity. it used sur-vey data to identify the most active bus stops and those with the greatest num-ber of mobility impaired riders.

The study’s results are leading to more accessible bus stops with better overall system efficiency.

“given the limited funds available for infrastructure improvements, da-ta-driven tools like this one help to prioritize local transportation invest-ments,” said Acting Federal high-way Administrator gregory Nadeau. “Thanks to pioneering work like theirs, the transportation community is now able to specifically pinpoint the areas needing improvements, and why they are needed.”

Project leader, Cristina Finch of the Re-gional Commission, states, “This Study reflects new ways to use existing data to better understand and justify the improvements needed for people to access transit. With so many bus stops in the transit network, this Study pro-vides direction on where investments are most needed.”

plAnnInG oRGAnIZAtIonRoAnoKe VAlley tRAnSpoRtAtIon

plAnnInG oRGAnIZAtIonpedestrian vision pLan

The Regional Pedestrian Vision Plan for the Roanoke Valley Transporta-

tion Planning Organization is the re-gion’s first plan focusing on promoting walking for everyday trips. With limited financial resources, this plan identifies where pedestrian infrastructure invest-ments are most needed based on the number of potential residents, employ-ees, shoppers, diners, and other visitors to walk to access nearby destinations.

The purpose of the Pedestrian Plan is to provide a coordinated and strategic approach to making walking a more widely chosen form of transportation. By investing in pedestrian infrastructure such as sidewalks, handicap ramps, bus stop waiting areas, and greenways, our region can provide safe and attractive walking environments that will enable people to accomplish their daily tasks with greater ease.

pedeStRIAn VISIon plAn IMpleMentAtIon

• Goal #1: Improve SAFETY for pedestrians. More people are seen walking in the Roanoke Valley because they feel safe due to new infrastructure which makes walking safer for people.

• Goal #2: Enable INDEPENDENT MOBILITY, particularly within Multi-modal Centers and Districts, where people do not have to rely on vehicles to get from one place to another. Walking is an easy decision because it is a pleasant experience.

• Goal #3: Create a region where ACTIVE LIFESTYLES are the norm because our land use decisions and investment in pedestrian infrastructure complement each other and enable a natural tendency for people to walk every day. As a result, people feel healthier, more socially-connected and happy living and working in the Roanoke Valley.

• Goal #4: Increase BUSINESS in Multimodal Centers and Districts; they are enjoyable places to work and patronize in part because they are in attractive well-connected walkable environments.

• Goal #5: Clean the ENVIRONMENT by walking for more trips and driving less. The Roanoke Valley is an attainment area for air quality, and we want it to remain as such even as we continue to grow in population. As more citizens walk to accomplish everyday tasks, they are able to enjoy the Valley’s beautiful environ-ment.

“RVARC’s innovative evaluation process led to a major bus route adjustment and pedestrian enhancements to bus

stops along a high-activity, low-income corridor.” FTA Therese W. McMillan


Jake GiLmer, hired as western virGinia workForCe deveLopment

board direCtor

Jake gilmer has been

selected as the new Director of the Western Virginia Work-force Devel-opment Board ( W V W D B ) . Mr. gilmer is a Roanoke native whose spent much of his

life in North Carolina, but returned to the region 10 years ago. he has spent most of his career in urban and com-munity development, serving commu-nities such as hendersonville, NC, the Land-of-Sky Region of Asheville, NC, and Roanoke, VA.

he most recently served as the Direc-tor of Partnerships and Development with the Roanoke Valley-Alleghany

Regional Commission. There he led the Partnership for a Livable Roanoke Valley, which was a multi-year regional planning effort to promote economic opportunity and quality of life in the region. in that role, he worked with over 60 nonprofits, businesses, and local governments to reach consensus on the region’s highest priority goals and strategies to achieve them. Over his career, Mr. gilmer has raised over $3,600,000 in funding for community and workforce development projects from federal, state, and foundation sources. Mr. gilmer is a graduate of the University of North Carolina and holds a Master’s in Public Administra-tion from James Madison University.

Mr. gilmer believes that the WVWDB can become the regional voice for workforce preparedness and a prima-ry contact for employers that seek to attract and retain qualified workers.

he would like to see the WVWDB pro-vide more direct training funds and re-sources to employers and plans to add a new Business Services position to implement this goal. he is also com-mitted to more strongly engaging key employers in setting regional work-force development goals and policies.

The Western Virginia Workforce Development Board is a 501c3 non-profit organization whose mission is to cultivate a dynamic workforce development system that stimulates economic development in the cities of Covington, Roanoke and Salem, and the counties of Alleghany, Botetourt, Craig, Franklin, and Roanoke.

e Co n o MywoRKFoRCe deVelopMent

Contact Jake gilmer [email protected]

35.9%

% of Postsecondary

Awards in STEM-H Programs

RvARC REGION

32.7%

vIRGINIA

13.3%

% of 9-12th Graders Earning

STEM-H Dual Enrollment Credits

RvARC REGION

4%

vIRGINIA

95.2

Postsecondary Awards per

100,000 Residents

RvARC REGION

102.5

vIRGINIA

12.5

Career Readiness Certificates per 100,000

Residents

RvARC REGION

12.2

vIRGINIA

$39,751

Average Wages

RvARC REGION

$51,923

vIRGINIA

9.9%

% of CTE Students Completing in the

Health Science Career Cluster

RvARC REGION

6.7%

vIRGINIA

Sources: STEM-h: STEM-h Postesecondary Enrollments and Awards, State Council of higher Education for Virginia (SChEV), 2014; Dual Enrollment Credits- SChEV, 2014

POSTSECONDARy EDUCATiON: Postsecondary Enrollments and Postsecondary Awards-SChEV, 2014

CAREER READiNESS: Career Readiness Certificates- Virginia Community College System, 2014

EMPLOyMENT: Average Wages- Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2013

hEALTh CARE: health Science Career Cluster Completions- Virginia Dept. of Education, 2014

Jake gilmer


woRKFoRCe deVelopMent

in June 2015, the Western Virgin-ia Workforce Development Board moved into the ground floor of the

Regional Commission building. The Regional Commission was asked by the Chief Local Elected Officials Con-sortium (CLEO) to partner with the WVWDB to help improve workforce services for the region. The Region-al Commission will act as the fiscal agent, employer of record, and office location of the WVWDB. Under the proposal, the WVWDB will remain an independent 501c3 organization that contracts with the Regional Commis-sion for payroll, benefits, and office space.

The Regional Commission and the Workforce Development Board are already working hard to enhance our regional workforce system. Part of this effort includes the following ini-tiatives:

• Realignment of WVWDB Board of Directors: The Board of Directors is increasingly composed of mem-bers that represent leading local employers, in key industry sec-tors. New members to the Board include senior representatives of Medical Facilities of America, in-

tegrity Windows, and Salem Tool, inc. The Board is now focused on understanding the needs of key local employments and provid-ing training to jobseekers to meet those needs.

• Industry Skills Panels: The WVWDB will soon convene a series of Skills Panels made up of key industries in to order to further understand the skills needed for today’s work-force. The Panels will work to iden-tify skill gaps, skill standards, cre-ate new certificate programs, and strengthen career pathways.

• Business Services: The WVWDB will soon have a full-time position dedi-cated to providing training resourc-es directly to employers to help im-prove their existing workforce. The person will also work to support a regional Business Services Team that coordinates the outreach of several workforce agencies with lo-cal employers.

• Engage Industry and Employers: The WVWDB recently awarded a new Workforce innovation and Opportunity Act (WiOA) Servic-es contract to ResCare Workforce Services. The WVWDB believes that ResCare brings a strong un-derstanding of employer needs and the experience needed to en-gage with them and other partners in the region.

• Create Relevant Career Pathways: The WVWDB is a key partner in governor McAuliffe’s New Econo-my initiative and will help in deliv-ering 50,000 industry recognized credentials by the end of 2017. The WVWDB is also working to expend a greater percentage of workforce funds on training for in-demand ca-reer pathways.

Western Virginia Workforce Development Board

eConoMywoRKFoRCe deVelopMent

For more information, visitwesternvaworkforce.com


ReGIonAl pRoJeC tS A n d lo C A l t e C H n I C A l A S S I S tA n C e

reGionaL Commission has provided teChniCaL assistanCe to many oF our LoCaL Governments durinG 2014-15 inCLudinG:

• Provided trail and blueway user counts to the Botetourt County Department of Parks and Recreation that will be used to support future grant applications and help meas-ure the economic impact of tourism and recreation in the county.

• Solid Waste Management Plan updates for the Alleghany highlands, Craig County and Town of New Castle.

• Completed the mapping and demographic update for the Boones Mill Comprehensive Plan.

• Worked with the Town of Boones Mill to develop a CDBg Planning grant for the Pate neighborhood that docu-mented the need for housing rehabilitation and the ex-tension of new water and sewer service.

• Assisted the City of Salem with its Downtown Plan by providing parking space utilization study and building in-ventory data.

• Participated in the Town of Vinton Downtown Revitali-zation project by serving on the Project Management Team.

• Assisted the Town of Clifton Forge with development of the Pedestrian & greenway Plan by completing a side-walk inventory and mapping for the project.

• Completed a Recreational Trails Program grant applica-tion for the City of Covington’s Jackson River Recreation/

Sports Complex that would fund a walking trail and boat-ing access site.

• Worked with the Town of Vinton to explore options for installation of a crosswalk at W.E. Cundiff Elementary School.

• Worked with the Town of Vinton on a grant application to the Virginia Department of game and inland Fisheries to fund a canoe and kayak launch on Tinker Creek.

• Assisted Craig County with continued development of the Craig County greenway by working with the Virgin-ia Tech Engineers Without Borders and the Virginia Safe Routes to School program.

• The Regional Commission’s grant Resource Access Net-work (gRANT) is a system to notify area governments, non-profits, and other interested parties in the region of grant opportunities. gRANT resources include the grantStation insider weekly e-newsletter, grant dead-lines, conferences and seminars, and industry news; ac-cess to the grantStation database of private grantmak-ers, and links to additional grant resources and ser-vices.

• Participated in the Down-town Roanoke intermodal Transportation Study with the City of Roanoke and Valley Metro.

wASte MAnAGeMent

Assisted Franklin County in re-searching options for consolidat-

ing green-box sites in an effort to reduce illegal dumping and improve the economic and environmental impact of the sites. The Regional Commission helped research and identify best practices and lessons learned from similar efforts made in Montgomery, Bedford, and other sur-rounding counties.

In February 2014, Franklin County announced that it would condense its 69 sites that contain 284 boxes to around 13 sites with manned compac-tors at each to assist county residents with unloading waste.

HoMeleSSneSS

Since 2007, the Regional Commis-sion has coordinated the Blue

Ridge Interagency Council on Home-lessness (BRICH) which facilitates and coordinates the region’s efforts to prevent, treat, and end home-lessness. The counties of Alleghany, Botetourt, Craig, and Roanoke; the cities of Covington, Roanoke, and Salem, and the towns of Clifton Forge and Vinton are all part of this effort.

The BRICH is composed of members from the general public, local govern-ments, mental health programs, state and federal programs, non-profit or-ganizations, businesses, and colleges and universities throughout the Roa-noke region.

loCAl Food And AGRICultuRe

Coordinated the Regional Local Foods Planning Committee, com-

pleted the Food Access Assessment report for the City of Roanoke, pro-vided grant application assistance to LEAP, and maintained the Commis-sion’s local foods planning website.

The Regional Commission will contin-ue working with area stakeholders to develop a Regional Food System Plan to promote and expand the existing food infrastructure within the greater Roanoke Valley and surrounding areas with expected outcomes of stimulat-ing economic development, improv-ing area livability, preserving existing natural resources, and increasing food access.

reGionaL proJeCts: in the spotLiGhtBelow are just a few of the many regional projects undertaken by the Regional Commission.

Courtesy terry aldhizer


Since our launch of the Livable

Roanoke Valley Plan, we’ve worked with our partners to move forward on some of our region’s highest priority in-itiatives. We want to make sure you are aware of the pro-gress that we are making across our goal areas including quality education, access to healthcare, work and career opportu-nities, stewardship of the environment, and greater regional collaboration.

Below are just some of the great strides that have been made by our champions and regional stakeholders:

• Presented the plan to over twenty local and statewide governmental, civic and student organizations.

• Obtained official endorsement of the plan from multiple local govern-ments and nonprofit partners.

• Expanded the Livable Roanoke Val-ley Steering Committee to include representatives from the Alleghany highlands.

• Distributed over 400 copies of the plan and 600 brochures to part-nering organizations, citizens, busi-nesses, elected officials, and poten-tial funders.

We look forward to even greater things in the coming year and will continue to provide you with more good news in the coming months.

A special thank you goes out to our partners in the field who are making progress happen and to the Regional Commission for the support and guid-ance of the Livable Roanoke Valley Plan.

lisa GarstSteering Committee ChairPartnership for a Livable Roanoke Valley

lisa garst

xperienCe ConneCts younG proFessionaLs with empLoyers

and Community Leaders

The inaugural Xperience event, held in March 2015, attracted an

estimated 150 young professionals to the event. Local businesses and organizations provided $15,000 in sponsorships.

The event was created to connect and empower young professionals to strengthen our community.

Young professionals are not only a sign of a strong business community. They play an important role in the future of our region. They are enthu-

siastic, dynamic and innovative mem-bers of our community. As we help them along their career pathway, we should also encourage them to play a more prominent role in the civic fabric of our community. Regions with strong reserves of human and social capital are better positioned to compete in the 21st century global economy.

Planning is already underway for next year’s Xperience conference. This event can easily double in size in 2016 by focusing more on both existing college students and those outside our market with ties to the region.

Xperience 2015

SolARIZe RoAnoKe

Solarize Roanoke was launched by Community Housing Partners in

partnership with the City of Roanoke. The program’s aim was to make solar energy easier and more affordable to implement for the residents of Roa-noke by using the power of bulk pur-chasing.

How It woRKS

A free evaluation is made to determine if an individual’s home is a good solar energy candidate. After signing up on the Solarize Roanoke website, a local, qualified solar contractor scheduled a home visit to size up the roof, explain the details of solar installation, and an-swer any questions about going solar.

Special financing and discounts were offered through through Freedom First Credit Union. Residents were also be able to see their Solarize dis-count and federal tax incentives in the final cost of the system.

Contractors would then make a site visit to gather all the information nec-essary, obtain necessary permits, order materials and equipment, and sched-ule installation. Installation usually takes a few days.

Once the system is up and running, residents can use electricity as it is generated or sell back any surplus elec-tricity to the utility. Through “net en-ergy metering,” you get a one-to-one, kilowatt hour-for-kilowatt hour credit on your bill for every unit of electricity produced and put back on the electric grid.

Courtesy Community Housing Partners

pARtneRSHIp FoR AlIVABle RoAnoKe VAlley

For More Livable Roanoke Updates visitlivableroanoke.org


l I VA B I l I t yBluewAySreGionaL bLueways enhanCe outdoor

amenities and eConomiC aCtivity

The Roanoke River Blueway offers a unique combination of urban, front

country, and back country recreation opportunities in the upper Roanoke River watershed. Enjoy canoeing, kay-aking, fishing, tubing, wading, wildlife viewing, and watershed education – with convenient access to other out-door and cultural amenities in Virgin-ia’s Blue Ridge.

The 45-mile Roanoke River Blueway (water trail) runs from the South Fork Roanoke River at East Montgomery County Park to the Department of game and inland Fisheries (DgiF) hardy Ford boating access at hardy Road (634) in Bedford County at Smith Mountain Lake. The Roanoke River Blueway weaves through Montgomery County, Roanoke County, Salem, Roa-noke and Franklin County, offering 18 access points along the way.

The Roanoke River Blueway provides river access for canoeing, kayaking, fishing, tubing, wading, wildlife view-ing, and other recreational opportu-nities, while connecting to numerous local parks, Roanoke River greenway, Tinker Creek greenway, Mill Moun-tain greenway, Blue Ridge Parkway, Explore Park, and Smith Mountain Lake. The Roanoke River Blueway also includes sections of the South Fork Roanoke River, Tinker Creek, and Back Creek.

Connecting Blueways to Greenways

The Roanoke River greenway and the blueway have a symbiotic re-

lationship, and as the greenway im-proves and grows, people expect the same from the nearby waterway. The greenway parallels the blueway for 15 miles through Roanoke, Salem, Roa-noke County and Vinton. Both are part of the effort to brand the Roanoke Val-ley as an outdoors friendly communi-

ty for the purposes of attracting both tourism and economic development.

Throughout the past year, the Roanoke River Blueway Committee, and Path-finders for the greenways have been working to expand access points to the Roanoke River. As a result of the part-nership, the blueway committee offi-cially can designate the trail as the 18th access point to the Roanoke River once the work is complete and approved by the park service.

discovering our Regional Blueways

Roanoke River’s blueway isn’t the only one in the region. Coordinated efforts with local governments, out-door enthusiasts, and numerous state and regional entities have supported blueway developments in Alleghany highlands and Botetourt and Franklin Counties.

The Franklin County blueway system for the Pigg and Blackwater rivers, includes 35 miles of river. its annual Pigg River Ramble Weekend brings out more than 1,000 participants and spectators throughout the weekend for various events.

The Alleghany highlands Blueway combines the Jackson and Cowpasture rivers with 2 lakes to offer fantastic canoeing, fishing, and recreational op-tions.

The Upper James River Trail begins at the headwaters of the Jackson and Cowpasture rivers. Along the 45 miles of the Upper James River in Botetourt County, you can get up close and per-sonal with the Allegheny and Blue Ridge Mountains. These headwaters provide some of the best fishing and canoeing in Virginia.

vinton boat

LaunCh

in June of 2015, the Town of Vinton opened its first public boat ramp at Tinker Creek.

The boat and canoe launch was originally built in 1985 for water rescues but is now open to the community as our region continues to expand its recreational access to the Roanoke River Blueway. Residents have asked for the launch to be opened to the public for more than a decade, but the town didn’t have the money to make it a reality until now.

Total improvements include signage, the kiosk to post river access information such as maps and regulations, a boat rack, fencing, landscaping, and improvements to the parking area.

For more info, visit rvarc.org/blueways


ReGIonAl GReenwAy And tRAIl uSeR

Count HIGHlIGHtS populARIty oF ouR tRAIlS And

GReenwAyS

The Regional Greenway and Trail User Count Program, established

in 2010, is an ongoing effort to conduct user counts on area greenways and trails. The goal of the Regional Greenway and Trail User Count Program is to collect longitudinal data for using in general planning and maintenance purposes and to compare to future use as the regional greenway network is expanded, connected, and promoted.

The Regional Greenway and Trail User Count Program was developed and is managed by the Roanoke Valley Alleghany Regional Commission with support from the cities of Roanoke and Salem, Roanoke County, the Town of Vinton, Roanoke Valley Greenways, and Pathfinders for Greenways. Funding sources for the program include regional transportation funding, local governments, and Roanoke Valley Greenways.

BluewAySlIVABIlIt y

GReenwAyS

390,254

TOTAL USERS2014

135

AvERAGE DAILY USERS

how is the data

used

The primary data collected by the trail counters include the total

number of counts, time of each count (hour, day, month, year).

Data from the program is available to local governments and other stakeholders and has been utilized for a range of purposes including:

• Capital improvements program (cip) funding requests for greenway construction

• Maintenance funding and prioritization

• greenway operations and policy development

• Congestion and/or user conflict management

• Events planning

• grant applications

• Outdoor amenities marketing

• go outside festival (go fest) attendance count

• Benefits/cost analyses

• Transportation studies

• Public health research

HAnGInG RoCK BAttleFIeld

tRAIl4%

lICK Run - 10tH St8%

MuRRAy Run4%

RoAnoKe RIVeR -17tH St

8%

RoAnoKe RIVeR -GReen HIll pARK

6%RoAnoKe RIVeR -MoyeRS SpoRtS

CoMpleX16%

RoAnoKe RIVeR -RIVeRS edGe

50%

RoAnoKe RIVeR -undeRHIll AVe

4%

Total Users2014

0

200

400

600

4489

4389 65

174

534

44

AVeRAGe dAIly uSeRS

Courtesy Brantley acree Courtesy sarah sammet


R e S e A R C H A n d t e C H n I C A l Su p p o RtHotel RoAnoKe eConoMIC IMpAC t

hoteL roanoke and ConFerenCe Center exCeeds over $616 miLLion in totaL eConomiC impaCt over 20 years

The Roanoke Valley-Alleghany Re-gional Commission examined the

economic impact of the hotel Roanoke and Conference Center from its reno-vation and re-opening in 1995 through 2014. An additional component of the study was to document changes in downtown Roanoke for the same pe-riod. The downtown has undergone revitalization through modest growth and investment, and the hotel Roa-noke and Conference Center has been a visible indicator and component of this growth over the past 20 years.

• The total impact of the hotel Ro-anoke and Conference Center was estimated to be about $616 million over the past 19 years, including:

• $78 million from initial renovation and construction.

• $30.5 million from capital improve-ments to the hotel and Conference Center.

• $351 million from hotel sales.

• $86 million from Conference Center sales.

• $61 million from visitation.

• Direct spending by the hotel, Con-ference Center and visitors equates to over $395 million of regional im-pact, while indirect and induced spending by vendors, employees and households adds an additional $220 million.

• in 2014, the estimated impact of the hotel and Conference Center was $40 million.

• Over $36 million of the 19 year im-pact has been in the form of taxes paid by the hotel and Conference Center.

• The hotel Roanoke and Confer-ence Center has directly employed between 250 and 300 people each year over the past twenty years. in 2014, the hotel and Conference Center had payroll and benefits of nearly $9 million.

• The hotel and Conference Center has helped support about 77 addi-tional jobs through indirect and in-duced spending each year since its reopening in 1995.

• it is estimated that visitors drawn by conferences and the hotel have generated over $61 million in re-gional impact since 1995. These visitors have helped support about 40 jobs per year in the regional economy.

Downtown Roanoke has seen sim-ilar positive growth for the same

period. New restaurants, employment growth and downtown residential growth have occurred as a result of in-vestment in downtown. it is estimated that the entire impact of revitalization in the downtown area has likely ex-ceeded $750 million over the past two decades.

April 2015

HOTEL ROANOKE AND CONFERENCE CENTERE CO N OM I C I M PAC T A N A LYS I S

Read more about this study athttp://rvarc.org/?p=5126

GauGinG the impaCt oF CoLLaboration

The Regional Commission offers economic impact analysis services to both the public and private sector. Construction, operations, and visitor impacts can be modeled specifically for any region in Virginia

using economic impact analysis software.

In past years, the Commission has conducted these studies for our member goverments, the Taubman Museum of Art, the Blue Ridge Marathon, and other regional organizations. For more information about conducting a study on a particular project, contact the Regional Commission at [email protected]


• phased approaCh – Due to the discovery that neither 15,000 annual lifts, nor 65 acres are dictated by market or physical conditions, it is conceivable that a smaller Phase I of a facility could be viable reducing the initial capital costs.

• exCeedinG the 15,000 LiFts per year assumption – The study found that the market conditions represented by both scenarios 1 and 2 would produce more than 15,000 annual lifts over the study horizon, boosting operating profitability.

• smaLLer FaCiLity – The choice of 65 acres appears to be a design choice that was established early on and carried over into the core analysis of every other study, including this one. The study found, based on other intermodal facilities, it is possible to handle significantly more than 15,000 lifts using a smaller footprint.

•Cost oF doinG nothinG - Just as there can be benefits to making investments, there can be costs to doing nothing to capitalize on opportunities. In the broader economic sense, not constructing an intermodal facility in Western Virginia would shut out an important avenue in the global trade supply chain while competitor regions are initiating projects that connect to the world. Other regional projects under way in the region such as broadband, passenger rail, and I-73, are similarly designed to connect Western Virginia with the global economy and mitigate the region’s geographic isolation.

R e S e A R C H A n d t e C H n I C A l Su p p o Rtwe SteRn VIRGInIA InteRModAl Study

study shows proFitabLe intermodaL FaCiLity wiLL pLuG western virGinia into GLobaL suppLy Chain

A key to the economic future of Western Virginia exists in stronger connections to global trade and information networks. Can it remain isolated from the rest of the global economy? This study evaluates the traffic and revenue models for a

Western Virginia intermodal facility and determines that the facility can operate profitably under certain conditions. Beyond this study is the larger question about the long-term value of the facility in overcoming geographic isolation by more efficiently and economically connecting the region to the world. Much like the region’s on-going discussions on better connections through broadband and i-73, intermodal can be examined as a critical part of the infrastructure that connects this region to the global economy.

The intermodal facility was evaluated under four different market scenarios, each containing different costs, routes served, users, and freight volumes. The four scenarios range from a high demand and high growth scenario (Scenario 1) to a low volume and low growth scenario (Scenario 4) with two scenarios at points in between. The variables are quantified in terms of the markets served, volume and growth. Through stakeholder interviews, workshops, and its professional assessment, AECOM made the following key findings:

it is very important to note that the core analysis of this study took the design and operating assumptions of all the previous studies, notably the assumptions of a 65 acre site with a target of 15,000 lifts per year. however, the study found that these

assumptions were choices and conventions and not necessarily dictated by physical or economic conditions. The study explored some important considerations that could make the facility even more viable and less costly.

• proFitabLe - it is projected to have an operating profit under a variety of market scenarios.

• pubLiC beneFits - it will provide greater public benefits than cost to the region, under some scenarios.

• pubLiC ConstruCtion FundinG needed Like simiLar FaCiLities - if constructed using mostly private funding, it will be difficult for the owner-operator to payback the construction cost. Construction costs are a significant barrier to moving ahead with the facility.

•Create & attraCt thousands oF new Jobs - it will create 887 jobs during its construction, 636 permanent jobs over the first three years in operation, and attract as much as 4,300 permanent jobs over 30 years. One large/local manufacturer that was interviewed stated that they could double their production if the intermodal facility was operational.

•hiGh ConstruCtion Cost - At the scale originally proposed, it will cost over $70 million to construct.


tHe yeAR AHeAd2015/2016 woRK pRoGRAM HIGHlIGHtS

t H e y e A R A H e A d

hiGhLiGhted reGionaL proJeCts

BROADBAND The Roanoke Valley Broadband Au-thority has recently hired an Executive Director, Frank Smith. Construction on the 50 mile network is expected to be complete by the end of 2015 and the network should be operational by early 2016. The Authority will continue to add service providers and services throughout 2016 as they also expand their customer base through continued outreach and marketing.

Staff will assist the regional broadband authority by serving as fiscal agent, as-sisting the RVBA to ensure the success of the fiber optics telecommunications network.

BLUEWAySStaff will prepare a final Roanoke River Blueway guide, marketing plan, budget, as well as an access point im-provement plan and budget.

PARTNERShiP FOR A LiVABLE ROANOKE VALLEyPLRV has made a commitment to sup-port and monitor the implementation of the strategies and will meet quar-terly to review the progress of the lead agencies in completing their actions. The plan will be reviewed annually and a report prepared to provide a status update on actions completed and im-plemented. The convening of the PLRV Steering Committee and production of the annual report will be the responsi-bility of the Roanoke Valley-Alleghany Regional Commission.

WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENTThe Regional Commission will serve as the fiscal agent, employer of record, and office location of the Western Vir-ginia Workforce Development Board (WVWDB). Regional Commission staff will provide the following additional services to the WVWDB: financial

management, human resource man-agement, communications, informa-tion services, and grant development.

AgiNg iN PLACE WORKShOPSStaff will develop workshops that ex-plore the issues that help our growing elderly population determine how they can stay in their homes and not be forced to search for alternative housing

REgiONAL hOUSiNg PLAN FOR highLANDSStaff will work with localities in the Al-leghany highlands, along with The Al-leghany Foundation, USDA Rural Devel-opment, Virginia housing Development Authority, DhCD and a housing consult-ant to determine the need for market rate and elderly housing. The study will make recommendations for projects to be undertaken to meet the identified needs.

hiGhLiGhted transportation proJeCts

RiDE SOLUTiONS:Staff will continued expansion into Martinsville and Danville regions and work with existing partners in the NRV and Region 2000 areas to grow the use and availability of alternative modes of transportation.

ROANOKE VALLEy TRANSiT ViSiON PLAN: Over the past two years, Regional Commission staff have worked diligently to collect public input and analyze transit data on the region’s transit services provided by Valley Metro, RADAR (STAR and CORTRAN programs), and Botetourt County (Senior and Accessible Van Program). The Commission has hired a consultant to provide technical and public outreach assistance as it finalizes the Plan over the next year.

The consultant will use the information gathered, work with the public and

regional stakeholders, and develop short- and long-term recommendations for advancing the region’s transit services and network over the next 25 years.

PASSENgER RAiL AND PUBLiC TRANSiT COORDiNATiON:

Staff will support the ongoing effort to provide passenger rail service in Downtown Roanoke in 2017 by working with VDRPT, the City of Roanoke and Valley Metro on related preparations including the establishment of a multimodal transportation station and planning for transfers to public transit and to rail.

RSTP, TA AND hB2 gRANT PROgRAMSAnnual transportation program application cycles are already here or just on the horizon. Transportation Alternatives Program applications are due November 2, 2015. The RVTPO just endorsed regional project

applications and will allocate funds in March 2016. Applications for the Regional Surface Transportation Program will be solicited in early 2016, with the TPO Policy Board endorsing the recommended financial plan in March. The inaugural hB2 application process recently concluded, with award announcements expected in January 2016.

CORRiDOR STUDiES:Staff will analyze the following corridors/areas which may include but is not limited to: access management, operations evaluation, transit/bicycle/pedestrian connections and parking availability/accessibility/issues:

• Route 419 Brambleton Avenue, • Downtown Salem Parking Analysis• Botetourt County Comprehensive Plan (transportation)• Exit 150 Study


2015/2016 woRK pRoGRAM HIGHlIGHtSt H e y e A R A H e A d

2015/16 woRK pRoGRAM HIGHlIGHtSnationaL, state, reGionaL and LoCaL CoLLaborative eFForts

Staff will promote and assist with regional planning initiatives by participating in the following local, regional, state and national organizations.

nAtIonAl• Development District Association of Appalachia and

Network Appalachia• National Association of Development Organizations

Board Southeastern Regional Directors institute Board

• Rural Planning Organizations of America Council of Peers

StAte• Bike Virginia Board • Virginia Association of Metropolitan Planning

Organizations• Virginia Association of Planning District Commissions• Virginia Association of Zoning Officials• Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation’s

Recreational Trails Advisory Committee• Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation

(DRPT) Statewide Multi-Modal and Public Space Design guidelines committee

ReGIonAl• Blue Ridge interagency Council of homelessness• Blue Ridge Transportation Safety Board• Cool Cities Coalition• Council of Community Services Board• greater Roanoke Valley Asthma and Air Quality

Coalition• hands on Blue Ridge Committee• healthy Roanoke Valley• i-81 Corridor Coalition • PATh Community Coalition• Pathfinders for greenways Board • Regional Bicycle Advisory Committee• Regional Chamber of Commerce Transportation

Committee

• Regional Stormwater Management Committee• Regional Stormwater Technical Committee• Regional Stormwater Citizen Advisory Committee• Partnership for a Livable Roanoke Valley• Roanoke Refugee Dialogue group – Transportation

Committee• Roanoke Regional Chamber of Commerce Board • Roanoke Regional housing Network• Roanoke Valley Area giS Managers Users group• Roanoke Valley greenway Commission• Roanoke Valley Urban Forestry Council• RSVP Advisory Council at the Council of Community

Services• Salem-Roanoke County Chamber of Commerce • United Way of the Roanoke Valley Board • United Way Community investment Council Panel

Member• Upper Roanoke River Roundtable Advisory Committee• Upper James River Resource Conservation and

Development District (RC&D) • Virginia Western Community College-integrated

Environmental Studies Advisory group • Virginia Western Community College – geospatial

Program Lay Advisory Committee

loCAl• City of Roanoke Downtown Mobility Workgroup• City of Roanoke School System ROTEC Advisory

Committee • Roanoke County Public Schools Technology Advisory

Committee• Salem Downtown Plan Advisory Committee• Vinton Downtown Revitalization Committe

View the full Work Program athttp://rvarc.org/?p=5396

Downtown Roanoke- Courtesy terry aldhizer smith mountain lake


SpotlIGHtInGouR ReGIonAl BeAut y

S p ot l I G H t I n G

Downtown RoanokeCourtesy terry aldhizer

Carvins CoveCourtesy sarah sammet

Roanoke River greenwayCourtesy anne sampson

Wiley Drive Roanoke River greenwayCourtesy Brantley acree

Cherry Blossom trail, BotetourtCourtesy terry aldhizer

Roanoke farmers market Courtesy Philip nolandfalling springs Waterfall, CovingtonCourtesy terry aldhizer trolley servicing Vt Carilion Research Center and south 16 Courtesy Cristina finch

Valley Metro’s Smart Way Connector Courtesy tyler godsey

the Depot lodge, Craig CountyCourtesy matt miller

Roaring Run falls, eagle RockCourtesy tyler godsey


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Vic thomas Park Roanoke River greenwayCourtesy Raquel Kuhlman

art By Bus Performer, erin HunterCourtesy tyler godsey

Ride Solutions’ Bike Valet at the Night Rider’s BallCourtesy Ron Bailey

Pathfinders for the greenway Volunteers at workCourtesy Bill gordge

Cherry Blossom trail, BotetourtCourtesy terry aldhizer

Urban livingCourtesy tyler godsey

Campbell Court RoanokeCourtesy Dristina finchtrolley servicing Vt Carilion Research Center and south 16 Courtesy Cristina finch

Vinton town ClockCourtesy matt miller

w w w . r v a r c . o r g

313 Luck Ave. SWPO Box 2569

Roanoke, VA 24010Ph- 540-343-4417 Fax 540-343-4416

[email protected]

Date post:	24-Jul-2016
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2015 Annual Report

Documents