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Waynesboro council backs $2.5 million Blue Ridge Parkway appropriation request
Summary
The Waynesboro City Council adopted a resolution supporting the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation's $2.5 million appropriation request to implement the Blue Ridge Rising Action Plan, voting 4-1.
The Waynesboro City Council voted 4-1 to adopt a resolution supporting the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation's request for a $2,500,000 appropriation to advance the Blue Ridge Rising Action Plan.
City staffer Mr. Ham told council that Blue Ridge Rising aims to "establish a collective regional vision that celebrates our shared culture, protects our unique natural resources, and strengthens the regional economy." He said the Parkway draws about 15,900,000 visitors (a 2021 figure) and generates roughly $1,300,000,000 in annual economic impact to adjacent communities.
The resolution asks the General Assembly to appropriate $2.5 million to enact plan elements including a unified regional voice, enhanced viewshed and wildlife protections, workforce and education expansion, capacity-building for organizations and communities, and investments in repairs, maintenance and enhancements to Parkway facilities. Ham said the initiative is supported in part by two grants from the U.S. Economic Development Administration and by the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation.
Council members asked about the foundation's strategy for federal partners. A staff member, Ms. Sampson, said the appropriation request had been submitted during the current legislative session and that timing made immediate legislative action uncertain: "No, actually it was submitted this session and so our timing is a little bit off but I thought it would be helpful to send along whatever support that we could." The council majority agreed to send a resolution of support to the General Assembly.
The motion passed with four votes in favor and one against; the roll-call vote tally was announced as "4 1." The resolution does not itself appropriate funding; it communicates Waynesboro's support for the foundation's request to the state legislature.
Supporting documents presented to council identified the Parkway corridor as running 469 miles through 12 Virginia counties and 17 North Carolina counties and noted that the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation is seeking regional endorsements from the 12 counties and eight independent cities in the corridor.
