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Regional Commission Elects 2017 Officers and Executive Committee
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At its February 22nd meeting, the Regional Commission elected the following slate of officers for terms running from March 1, 2017 to February 28, 2018.
Chair: Mr. James Crozier, Orange County
Vice-Chair: Mr. Robert Coiner, Town of Gordonsville
Treasurer: Ms. Meaghan Taylor, Town of Culpeper
At-Large Executive Committee: Mr. Daniel Campbell, Madison County
At-Large Executive Committee: Ms. Deborah Keyser, Rappahannock County
At-Large Executive Committee: Mr. Paul McCulla, Fauquier County
In addition, the Regional Commission welcomed two new members in February: Mr. Chris Butler, Fauquier County Board of Supervisors, and Mr. Daniel Painter, Town of Madison Council. A current list of Regional Commission representatives from the region's five counties and eight towns can be found on our website.
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Input Requested on Local Food Branding March 7th in Culpeper & Warrenton
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Through technical assistance funding from the PATH Foundation, RRRC will be holding public input sessions to develop a brand name and logo for the region’s locally-grown food and beverages. Two identical sessions will be held on March 7, 2017 at the following locations:
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2:00-4:00pm
Culpeper Police Dept. Community Room
740 Old Brandy Road, Culpeper
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6:00-8:00pm
Fauquier Hospital Conference Center
Sycamore Room B
500 Hospital Drive, Warrenton
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After presenting the results of our consumer survey, a marketing consultant will lead participants in a discussion of our region’s assets and challenges. Doing so will allow us to determine what sets the region’s locally-grown food apart from the competition and build a stronger brand. There will also be an opportunity for participants to voice their concerns and preferences about the brand. The brand will then be used in a regional marketing campaign being funded by the United States Department of Agriculture.
This effort is part of the Commission’s on-going implementation of the 2015 Regional Farm and Food Plan. For further information, please contact Michelle Edwards at (540) 829-7450 or medwards@rrregion.org or visit the Commission’s Food System Webpage at www.rrregion.org/foodsystem.html.
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FAMS and Commuter Services Host Transportation Forum in Fauquier County
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The FAMS Employment Transportation Subcommittee (FAMS ETS) hosted its third Transportation Public Forum at the Warrenton Visitors Center on February 23rd. Attendees included government staff, non-profit organizations, public transit providers, and area residents. The purpose of the forum was to identify employment transportation needs and unmet needs in the community.
Information was shared on community resources including the FAMS Call Center, Commuter Services, and public transportation services. RRRC Mobility Manager Jenny Biché gave an overview of the Foothills Area Mobility System (FAMS) Committee and explained that the focus of the Employment Transportation Subcommittee was to identify the barriers to employment transportation, prioritize 2-3 recommended solutions, and secure funding to implement them. Employer and employee surveys have been developed and distributed to help collect data to outline additional focus areas. The surveys can be accessed at:
• Employer Survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/WSJHLPB
• Employee Survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/WDSDR7N
Attendees discussed the barriers they were aware of and brainstormed possible solutions. Suggestions included surveying the homeless population at shelters and motels, create employer incentives to encourage them to offer van pools/invest in expanding public transportation, distribute surveys to medical facilities, and explore available resources such as car mechanics who offer loaner cars for drop off/pick up as well as school buses when they are not in use. Virginia Regional Transit and the PATH Foundation stated they are working on a collaboration to expand public transportation service in Fauquier County.
The FAMS ETS will meet to review the outcomes of the transportation forums, and will then work to determine primary focus areas and supportive efforts that will become objectives over the following months/fiscal year, to include expansion of the program overall. For more information on FAMS or the Employment Transportation Subcommittee, please contact Jenny Biche at (540) 829-7450 or jkbiche@rrregion.org.
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RRRC Welcomes New Staff Members
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The Regional Commission staff has grown with the addition of Kristin Lam Peraza and Kate Ford in early 2017.
Ms. Lam Peraza joins the Regional Commission as Rideshare Coordinator and Office Manager, having served most recently with the Virginia Department of Health in Prince William County as an Emergency Preparedness and Medical Reserve Corps Training Coordinator. She is a native of Culpeper County and lifelong resident of the region, and can be reached at klamperaza@rrregion.org.
Ms. Ford joins the Commission as an intern with primary focus on the USDA Farmers Market Promotion Program grant, supporting the regional Food Policy Council and 'Tween Rivers Trail agri-tourism initiative. Ms. Ford is presently a third year at the University of Virginia Batten School of Leadership Public Policy and can be reached at intern@rrregion.org.
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Regional Tourism Committee to Hold Next Workshop April 26th
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The Rappahannock-Rapidan Regional Tourism Committee hosted a Digital Marketing Workshop on January 26th at the Warrenton Visitor Center in Warrenton, Virginia. The workshop opened with a networking lunch after which Fauquier County Tourism Director Catherine Payne introduced keynote speaker Dave Neudeck, Digital Marketing Director for the Virginia Tourism Corporation. Mr. Neudeck spoke on the importance Facebook and Instagram platforms have on marketing travel destinations and led the nearly 40 attendees through a step by step development of a social media marketing plan for their business. Following his presentation, attendees participated in a Q & A with Mr. Neudeck. Mr. Neudeck’s presentation can be accessed on our website.
The Digital Marketing Workshop is the third workshop the Regional Tourism Committee has hosted in a series of quarterly workshops designed to support, improve and expand agri-tourism businesses in the region. The next workshop will be held on April 25th at Rock Hill Farm in Culpeper, Virginia (map).
Beginning at 9am, Dr. Kimberly Morgan, Assistant Professor at Virginia Tech, will provide an overview on Market Maker, the largest national database for the agricultural industry. The portal provides a simple search tool to connect buyers, farmers/ranchers, fisheries, farmers markets, processors/packers, wineries, restaurants and more.
Beginning at 1pm, the Rappahannock-Rapidan Regional Tourism Committee will provide instructions on how to build Visitors Packages that can increase business through collaboration. The cost of each session is $20 or $30 to attend both sessions, with online registration available in the next few weeks. For more information please contact Jenny Biche at (540) 829-7450 or at jkbiche@rrregion.org.
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GO Virginia Region 9 Council Members Announced
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Over the past year, the Regional Commission has offered its support to the GO Virginia initiative. Representatives from McGuire Woods briefed the Commission in February 2016 on the proposed program, and the Regional Commission passed a resolution supporting the Central Virginia Partnership for Economic Development as the lead organization in both Planning Districts 9 (Rappahannock-Rapidan Regional Commission) and 10 (Thomas Jefferson PDC).
In February, the Central Virginia Partnership announced a group of business, education, and government leaders that formed the initial membership of GO Virginia Regional Council 9. The Council includes business executives from small and large firms in eight counties, the presidents of the University of Virginia, Piedmont Virginia Community College, and Lord Fairfax Community College, and elected officials, county administrators, and economic developers equally representing planning districts 9 and 10. The complete list of Council members is online.
The organizational meeting of the Regional Council 9 was held on February 13th at the UVA Research Park in Albemarle County. At the meeting, the Council approved its Intent to Form statement to request official certification of Regional Council 9. That certification decision is expected to take place at the GO Virginia Board meeting on March 14, 2016 in Richmond.
The second meeting of GO Virginia Regional Council 9 is scheduled for March 22nd at Germanna Community College's Daniel Technology Center in Culpeper, beginning at 1:30 p.m.
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Historic Photo Feature: Little Fork Church
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Above: Little Fork Church (Credit: David King, Public Domain, Link)
This is an ongoing feature focusing on a building or area of historic interest in the region. We will feature noteworthy historic areas or buildings from each of the five counties and eight towns and welcome your suggestions and pictures to planinfo@rrregion.org.
Little Fork Church is located just north of the Hazel River in the northern part of Culpeper County. The current structure was completed in 1776 and was built following the loss of two earlier church buildings due to fires around 1750 and 1773. Little Fork Church is the only remaining colonial church in Culpeper County, and one of the few remaining colonial churches in Virginia's Northern Piedmont region. Little Fork Church was originally a chapel of St. Mark's Parish (Episcopal) in the 18th century and was used by the Little Fork Rangers, as well as Union troops during the Civil War. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places on November 12, 1969 with the application noting that "Little Fork's immediate environs still possess the rural character they had in the eighteenth century."
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