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Foundation: $5.1M Blue Ridge Rising award, stream study and trail assessments moving forward
Summary
The foundation said the Appalachian Regional Commission awarded a $5.1 million Blue Ridge Rising grant with roughly $2 million to local Parkway communities; separate outdoor-recovery projects include trail assessments in Mount Rogers and a high-definition New River stream study (selection committee meets shortly).
The Southwest Virginia Cultural Heritage Foundation reported that the Appalachian Regional Commission awarded $5,100,000 to a Blue Ridge Rising project, with about $2,000,000 intended for communities along the Blue Ridge Parkway, Executive Director Kim said.
Kim said the grant will support tourism infrastructure, wayfinding signage, expanded internet access near the Parkway, trail development, workforce training and view-shed protection across Grayson, Carroll, Floyd, Patrick, Franklin and the City of Galax. She said details about which entity will serve as fiscal agent (Friends of Southwest Virginia, the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation or localities) are still being finalized.
Separately, the board discussed two projects funded through an outdoor recovery grant. Kim said the foundation has hired the Mount Rogers Planning District Commission to perform trail assessments across parts of the Mount Rogers Recreation Area (Grayson, Smyth and Scott counties) to document debris and make removal recommendations. For the New River, Kim said a high-definition stream study from North Carolina to West Virginia will catalog debris that hinders recreation and identify remediation needs; the RFP closed and the selection committee was scheduled to meet the next day with contracts to follow.
Board members asked how the study’s data would be delivered and when fieldwork would occur. Kim said the study will include videos, drone footage and sonar, and noted that winter months (January–March) can be faster for some aspects of the work; she added the project team will balance speed against cost to avoid overpaying for a rapid turnaround. Kim said the team was aiming for November for major deliverables but retained flexibility into spring for additional fieldwork.
Kim said DEQ and DWR will be on the selection committee for the stream study and will participate in the technical evaluation. She encouraged board members who want more technical detail to raise those items during firm selection so they can be written into the contract.
The board did not take a formal vote on project contracting during the meeting; Kim said staff will report selection outcomes and contract timelines once negotiating is complete.
