U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development and Virginia Cooperative Extension in February will host the first of several open meetings to facilitate economic development planning in the Northern Shenandoah Valley region of Virginia.
The Northern Shenandoah Valley region – consisting of Clarke, Frederick, Page, Shenandoah and Warren counties, the town of Front Royal and the city of Winchester– was Virginia’s third Stronger Economies Together (SET) region selected in 2015. SET, a regional economic improvement program, enables communities and counties in rural America to work together in creating and implementing an economic development blueprint for their multi-county region that strategically builds on the current and emerging economic strengths of that region.
The Civic Engagement Forum is the first meeting in the SET process. The forum will offer an opportunity for residents and community leaders to engage in discussions and deliberations facilitated by USDA Rural Development staff and members of Virginia Cooperative Extension to evaluate regional data and identify economic advantages and challenges in the region.
“Collaborative, regional planning is essential in today’s economic development environment,” said Basil Gooden, Ph.D., Virginia State Director, USDA Rural Development. “Cities, towns and counties can achieve so much more if they work together to pool resources, ideas and opportunities. We are eager to take the first step in the SET process to help the Northern Shenandoah Valley region realize its full collective potential.”
The Civic Engagement Forum is scheduled as follows:
- Thursday, February 11
- 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.
- Lord Fairfax Community College,
Corron Community Development Center,
173 Skirmisher Lane,
Middletown, VA 22645
Four subsequent community meetings are scheduled later this year to delve even deeper into the regional data that will help the region formulate a high-quality economic development plan. The SET process also includes support in implementing the plan.
For more information on the SET process, visit the Stronger Economies Together website or contact Martha Walker, community viability specialist with Virginia Cooperative Extension.
The SET technical support team includes the Virginia Tech Office of Economic Development, the Virginia Rural Center, and various agencies from the Office of the Secretary of Commerce and Trade, including the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development, Virginia Tourism Corporation, and Virginia Economic Development Partnership.
Launched in 2010 by USDA Rural Development, the nation’s four regional rural development centers, the Purdue Center for Regional Development, and its land-grant university partners, SET is now in place in more than 70 regions in 31 states. SET is intended to help strengthen the capacity of communities and counties in rural America to work together to develop and implement an economic development blueprint for multicounty regions, strategically building on the current and/or emerging comparative economic advantages of that region.