M E M O R A N D U M

June 18, 2021

TO: Mayor and Members of City Council John C. Blair, City Attorney Management Team Mid-Managers

FROM: Steven L. Rosenberg, City Manager Leslie Beauregard, Assistant City Manager

SUBJECT: Activity Report

Community Development

Key Construction Project Updates

High-Tech Route 11 A temporary occupancy permit for 2nd floor and partial 1st floor, pending minimum site work, is being completed. A temporary occupancy permit was issued for North Ridge Café. Plans were submitted for review of Tenant Space 100 to house Shenandoah Valley Social Services.

O’Reilly Auto Parts Store Construction is underway, concrete foundation walls are being poured and inspections are currently being scheduled for a new 9,720 square foot building to be located at 715 Richmond Avenue for the retail sale of auto parts.

Select Physical Therapy Building plans are under review for commercial renovations of the former Comcast offices at 2303 North Augusta Street to create a 2,200 square feet business space for Select Physical Therapy.

Take 5 Oil Change A site plan was approved and a pre-construction meeting is being scheuled for the Take 5 Oil Change to be located on the corner of Richmond Avenue and Frontier Drive.

Old Walls Garage Building Interior renovations of the 3,200 square foot former Walls Garage located at 1200 Middlebrook Avenue are in process to add offices and storage area. Framing and rough in inspections are being scheduled.

Frontier Center A site plan is under review for the outparcel between Bojangles and Aldi to be a new Cook Out restaurant.

Greenhills Fabrication Facility Rough in inspections are being scheduled for the new 64,000 square foot fabrication facility to be located at 101 Industry Way. The site is at 60-70% final grade.

Marino’s Restaurant Located at 901 North Augusta Street, the existing Marino’s Restaurant will have interior renovations and upgrades done to increase seating and workflow areas. Framing and rough- in inspections for the restaurant area are currently being scheduled.

Car Wash A building permit was issued, initial E&S controls were installed and construction is underway for a new 110-foot automated car wash to be located at 102 Community Way.

Child Care Facility A Certificate of Occupancy was issued for Phase I completion. Phase II plans were approved and issued for the new child care facility to be located at 11 Green Hills Drive, Suite 1 in the former High Tech Salon and Day Spa space.

Long John Silver’s Building plans are currently under review for a new 2,007 square foot building to be located at 641 Greenville Avenue for Long John Silver’s, replacing the existing restaurant where a fire had occurred earlier in the year.

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Staunton Mini Storage Final inspections were completed for the 14-storage building site located at 107 Lacy B. King Way. Final site approval still needs to occur in order to issue the Certificate of Occupancy.

Staunton Crossing Footer inspections are being scheduled for a 5,745 square foot retail structure with up to three tenant spaces located at 102 Crossing Way. A build plan review was completed. Suite 101 (2,400 square feet) will be occupied by Chipotle Mexican Grill.

A temporary Certificate of Occupancy was issued for the 7-11 Convenience Store Holtzman Oil Gas station located at 101 Crossing Way.

Permit applications were issued for the complete demolition of the buildings located on the Economic Development Authority’s 79 acres located at 100 North Frontier Drive, formerly the old Western State Hospital. The contractors are using a building-by-building approach. The majority of the asbestos abatement was completed, as well as the demolition of seven buildings.

Ciders from Mars Renovations were completed for Cider from Mars, located at 121 S. Lewis Street, creating a 3,600 square foot cidery operation on the first floor with a deck addition at the rear for outside service area.

Reports

Corridor Overlay Staff advertised a Request for Proposals seeking proposals from qualified and properly licensed architectural firms and/or planning consulting firms specializing in planning, architectural history, and/or cultural resources management to develop a detailed and cohesive set of design guidelines for the City’s Entrance Corridor Overlay Districts. The design guidelines are intended to assist property owners, developers, and contractors as they plan new development, redevelopment, or alterations to their properties. It is the intent to have the successful firm supply complete, enforceable, and adoptable design guidelines.

Planning Commission At its meeting of May 20, the Planning Commission: • Reviewed monument sign heights and sizes and continued their work on rewriting Chapter 18.140, Signs, Billboards, and other Advertising Structures. 3

• Conducted a public hearing and considered a request by Bears and Blankets Academy of Early Learning for a Special Use Permit to convert the building at 320 N. Central Avenue into a Child daycare. The Commission unanimously voted to recommend approval of the Special Use Permit.

• Conducted a public hearing and considered a zoning text amendment that would help facilitate the development of existing nonconforming residential lots which have been platted without the required 30 feet of street frontage. The proposed amendment would permit the development of one single-family home on lots not meeting the minimum road frontage requirements. The Planning Commission will revisit the proposed amendment at their June 17 meeting.

• Authorized staff to proceed with drafting zoning text language to address the permitting of community gardens.

Building Construction and Related Activity

Permits Issued May-21 May-20 # Chg % Chg

New Residential 0 1 -1 -100.0% Residential Renovations 14 7 7 100.0% Electrical Permits 19 22 -3 -13.6% Mechanical Permits 8 7 1 14.3% Plumbing Permits 11 9 2 22.2% Commercial New-Renovations 4 3 1 33.3% Miscellaneous 4 4 0 0.0% Total 60 53 7 13.2%

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Total Monthly Building Permits Issued

125

96 100 99 98 89 92 90 76 75 67 60 53

May-20 Jun-20 Jul-20 Aug-20 Sep-20 Oct-20 Nov-20 Dec-20 Jan-21 Feb-21 Mar-21 Apr-21 May-21

Permits Issued May 2021

Plumbing Permits Commercial New-Renovations 18% 7%

Mechanical Permits 13% Miscellaneous 7%

Electrical Permits Residential 32% Renovations 23%

Permit Fees Collected May-21 May-20 # Chg % Chg

New Residential $0 $291 -$291 -100.0% Residential Renovations $1,462 $943 $519 55.0% Electrical Permits $1,765 $2,035 -$270 -13.3% Mechanical Permits $745 $648 $97 15.0% Plumbing Permits $928 $959 -$31 -3.2% Commercial New-Renovations $1,503 $594 $910 153.3% Miscellaneous $406 $150 $256 170.7% Total $6,809 $5,619 $1,190 21.2%

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Total Monthly Building Permits Fees Collected $40,000

$30,000

$20,000

$10,000

$0 May-20 Jun-20 Jul-20 Aug-20 Sep-20 Oct-20 Nov-20 Dec-20 Jan-21 Feb-21 Mar-21 Apr-21 May-21

Fees Collected May 2021

Electrical Permits, $1,765 Mechanical Permits, $745 Residential Renovations, $1,462 Plumbing Permits, New Residential, $928 $0

Miscellaneous, $406 Commercial New- Renovations, $1,503

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Economic Development

Staunton Crossing Demolition

Hazardous materials were remediated in all but one building, which were certified and approved for demolition by the independent third-party testing agency. Building 126 is the remaining site that needs to be remediated. Demolition has been completed on six buildings with substantial completion of two other buildings.

On May 10 and May 21, staff met with two different prospects on site.

Shenandoah Community Capital Fund Amanda DiMeo attended the Shenandoah Community Capital Fund regular meeting on May 11 at the Staunton Innovation Hub.

Economic Development Authority On May 27, the Economic Development Authority held its regular meeting in the Rita S. Wilson Council Chambers.

Environmental Protection Agency Brownfields Grant On May 12, the Environmental Protection Agency announced the award of the Brownfields Assessment Grant ($300,000) to continue efforts to develop a strategy to revitalize the West End community.

Business Retention and Expansion On May 11, Ms. DiMeo visited Ryzing Technologies. Governor Northam recently announced the expansion of the local company investing $149,000 to expand capabilities at its facility in Staunton and creating 31 new positions. The company serves U.S. military and allied forces as well as industrial, commercial and governmental clients. It focuses on creating engineered textiles, rigid inflatable structure and rapid prototyping.

Department of Housing and Community Development On May 28, Ms. DiMeo attended the Department of Housing and Community Development’s (DHCD) Enterprise Zone training for local Zone Administrators. These trainings are part of a regular series DHCD is offering and attendance is required.

Virginia Economic Development Association

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On May 10 and May 24, Ms. DiMeo participated in Virginia Economic Development Association’s regular “impact-ED” meetings. The featured speaker for May 10 was Robert Stolle, President and CEO of Virginia’s Center for Innovative Technology. The featured speaker for May 24 was Chris Thompson, Director of Strategic Housing discussing the resources available to help localities prepare for large projects. Second speaker was The Honorable Aubrey Layne, Secretary of Finance, Commonwealth of Virginia, sharing the Federal Stimulus Update/Potential Infrastructure and/or Economic Development Funding.

Following each of the presentations, local Economic Development officials met virtually with Stephen Moret, CEO with the Virginia Economic Development Partnership to discuss any concerns or new policies coming out of the pandemic.

Central Shenandoah Planning District Commission On May 18, Ms. DiMeo attended the final webinar revealing the findings of the Agricultural Enterprise Center Feasibility Study, contracted in July 2020 by the Central Shenandoah Planning District Commission with agriculturally focused consultant New Venture Advisors. The study set out to determine the viability of a certified, commercial, shared-use Agricultural Enterprise Center to help support business diversification and growth of value-added agricultural products. The seven counties of Augusta, Bath, Highland, Page, Rockbridge, Rockingham, and Shenandoah and the five cities of Buena Vista, Harrisonburg, Lexington, Staunton, and Waynesboro were included in the study that was funded through a USDA Local Food Promotion Program grant and a GO Virginia Enhanced Capacity Building Grant. The study produced a business case and a food hub and commercial kitchen model that can be used as a template and provide important user insight to a future operator.

Business License Activity During May, the Commissioner of Revenue’s office issued 31 business licenses compared to 38 the previous month, representing a 18.47% decrease. This month a year ago, only 23 business licenses were issued. The following bar chart provides a monthly comparison for the total number of business licenses issued for the past year.

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40

30 Trendline

20

10

0 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 1 2 3 4 5 20 21

As seen in the following pie chart, the services sector accounted for nearly two-thirds of the total licenses issued in May.

Professional Services Business Services 3% 55%

Retail Trade 29%

Contractors 13%

Area Unemployment Rates During April, Staunton’s unemployment rate of 3.5% was 1.6 point lower than previous month’s rate. As seen in the graph below, Staunton’s rate was lower than Augusta County, Waynesboro, and the State’s rate.

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12.0

8.0

4.0

Augusta Waynesboro State Staunton 0.0 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 1 2 3 4 20 21

With a labor force of 12,025 people, 11,603 were employed and 422 were unemployed in Staunton in April. The following table provides a comparison by locality of labor force data changes from the prior month to the current month.

Unemployment Area Month Labor Force Employed Unemployed Rate

Apr-21 12,025 11,603 422 3.5%

Staunton Mar-21 12,178 11,563 615 5.1%

Change -153 40 -193 -1.6%

Apr-21 36,476 35,355 1,481 4.0% Augusta Mar-21 36,694 35,201 1,493 4.1% County Change -218 154 -12 -0.1%

Apr-21 10,565 10,126 439 4.2%

Waynesboro Mar-21 10,681 10,098 583 5.5%

Change -116 28 -144 -1.3%

Apr-21 4,216,889 4,050,892 165,997 3.9%

State Mar-21 4,249,613 4,031,709 217,904 5.1%

Change -32,724 19,183 -51,907 -1.2%

The May report, containing the most current unemployment data by the Virginia Employment Commission, was unavailable at the publishing of this report.

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Finance

• The department issued 7,869 utility bills and general bills totaling $1,026,802 during May.

• Collection activities in May resulted in recovery of $6,831 in delinquent utility invoices.

• The Utility Payment Office processed 3,470 receipts in the amount of $764,118 during May.

• The department processed 383 City and 171 Schools accounts payable checks totaling $2,676,742; 776 City and 501 Schools payroll-related advices totaling $2,957,442; and 62 ACH debit/wire transactions totaling $1,307,478 during May.

• The department issued two Request for Proposals (RFP). The first RFP was for engineering on-call services and was due on June 15. The second RFP was for architectural and planning services for the preparation of design guidelines for entrance corridor overlay districts. These proposals are due on June 21.

• Staff attended the Virginia Association of School Business Officers spring virtual conference.

• Preliminary audit work for FY 2021 started May 10.

• Staff members continued to participate in project meetings and tasks related to the upgrade to Munis V2019.1 and the upgrade to the Tyler Parks and Recreation module. Many PACE training sessions have been held on various modules within the system as well as introduction sessions for all Munis end users. The upgrade is scheduled for September 9-10.

• The department continued to award utility assistance through the COVID-19 Municipal Utility Relief Program. The deadline was extended until June 30 or until funds have been exhausted, if sooner. Customers can now receive assistance more than once due to recent changes in the program

• Staff members continued the process of studying the American Rescue Plan enacted by Congress on March 11. Final award figures were released on May 10. Staff is currently evaluating the rules and regulations to start the process of determining the spending options available.

• The department, in conjunction with the Information Technology department, completed the implementation of the Kronos Attestation module. The module went live May 10. Among the items implemented were a temperature certification question for non-exempt employees upon clocking in and an automatic meal break question

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for all non-exempt employees that have an automatic meal deduction amount built into their time.

Fire and Rescue

• Staunton Fire and Rescue responded to 290 incidents in May, totaling 1,406 emergency incident responses for 2021. The average response time for April was 4 minutes and 51 seconds. The average response time for 2021 is 5 minutes and 01 seconds.

o Fire Station No. 1 responded to 192 incidents in May.

o Fire Station No. 2 responded to 98 incidents in May.

• Staff received over 884 hours of training in May. Personnel totaled 3,217 training hours for 2021, averaging 25 hours per person every month.

• Staff conducted 12 business fire safety inspections and 13 re-inspections in May. Routine fire inspections were discontinued to due COVID-19.

Human Resources

Employee Actions

The following employee actions were processed:

Terminated:

Full Time—1

Part Time/Seasonal—3

Hired:

Full Time—3

Part Time—40

Retired—1

Activities Human Resources staff members took part in the following activities in May:

Recruitment (based on exceptions to the hiring freeze):

• Initiated recruitment for the following positions:

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o Referees/Umpires o Sanitation Workers – Part Time o Sales & Marketing Manager o Library Assistant I – Circulation Substitutes o Deputy Sheriff o Equipment Operator I – Streets o Equipment Operator II – Streets o Equipment Operator III - Streets o Equipment Operator I – Utilities o Equipment Operator II - Utilities

• Continued recruitment for the following positions:

o Recreation Program Counselor o Seasonal Labor – Parks and Recreation o Utility Operations Engineer o Lifeguards o Pool Manager o Custodial Workers – Part Time o Water Treatment Plant Operator o Equipment Operator I – Parks Maintenance o Police Officer (Certified Only) o Equipment Maintenance/Traffic Superintendent

Orientations:

• Conducted orientation for one full-time employee.

Other:

• Attended Virginia Risk Sharing Association annual meeting which announced their new Inclusion Residency program.

• Attended Staunton Employee Committee Meeting to discuss new procedures for Employee Recognition program after July 1.

• Attended Safety Committee meeting.

• Assisted in the interview process for the Clerk of Council.

Benefits:

• Attended quarterly Staunton Augusta Waynesboro meeting to discuss health, dental and other benefits.

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• Attended quarterly meeting with CapTrust to review supplemental retirement plan and discuss process for moving to Empower in October.

Community:

• Attended various meetings of the Valley Community Services Board’s executive and human resources committees.

Information Technology

Information Technology staff took part in the following activities in May:

• Installed by Public Works, a backup air conditioning unit in the computer room will provide a failsafe in the event of a primary AC unit failure.

• Over 300 users completed the mandatory IT security awareness training. Less than 2% of City employees fail to accurately detect test phishing emails.

• Completed 11 PACE training classes for Munis users. Classes offered information on how to better utilize Munis as well as prepare for the upgrade later this year.

• Started the Network switch replacement. The new network switches replace equipment workstations and phones that have been in service for over 12 years. The new switches provide power-over-ethernet that will be required for the new telephone system.

• Continued work with a security consultant to develop updated security policies and procedures.

• Recycled four skids of outdated and defective printers, computers, servers and other electronics. Nearly 3,000 pounds of electronic waste will be salvaged and properly disposed of.

• Started development of the Request for Proposal (RFP) for a regional public safety radio system. The RFP should be released in August 2021.

• Produced drone videos of Staunton Dam and Gardner Springs facilities.

• Replaced several workstations and printers.

• Fulfilled six FOIA requests for email and telephone records.

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Library

• Youth Services staff launched the first in-person Story Time programs since March 2020. Story times are now held three mornings per week: Mondays at Gypsy Hill Park, Wednesdays at Montgomery Hall Park and Fridays on the library’s lawn. While several events had to be canceled due to poor weather conditions, the eight remaining scheduled programs had a total attendance of over 200 people.

• Youth Services collaborated with Augusta Health to resupply the bags given to new parents, inviting them to take advantage of library’s many resources as their new baby grows.

• Staff procured and launched three new educational databases available to patrons:

• CreativeBug: unlimited access to thousands of online art and craft classes led by experienced instructors and artists. • LearningExpress Library: tutorials, practice tests, and e-books to help with job search and workplace skills; reading, writing, math, and basic science lessons; career certification, licensure, GED®, college and graduate school entrance test prep, and more. • America’s News: news and information from reliable sources including full image versions of the Richmond Times-Dispatch, the News Virginian, and the Daily Progress.

• As state-level restrictions eased, staff began to add furniture back to allow a limited number of comfortable seats and study tables. More furniture will gradually be put back out as staff members have time prior to opening in the mornings

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Monthly Statistical Report: May 2021

CIRCULATION MONTH YTD PROGRAMS MONTH YTD

Adult 5,972 44,595 Adult 1 14

Young Adult (YA) 536 6,318 Attendance 14 101

Juvenile 3,509 28,447 YA 2 14

Digital 2,967 33,940 Attendance 126 1,392

Juvenile 17 141

Total Circulation 12,984 110,545 Attendance 690 8,633

Talking Book Center 1,338 16,067 Circulation PEOPLE

Items Checked In 13,731 26,392 Curbside Visits 234 7,478

Library Visitors 5,786 27,890

Outgoing to VLC Libraries 1,930 22,379 Computer Users 244 1,354

Incoming from VLC Libraries 1,990 32,751 Juvenile Computer Users 0 0

Total Holds Filled 5,803 64,812 Meetings Held 0 0

Volunteer Hours 70 311

Added to Collection 720 16,904 New Card Registrations 94 649

Withdrawn from Collection 2,143 16,456 Total Registered Cards 20,381

Interlibrary Loans

Borrowed 24 222

Lent 0 0

Parks and Recreation

Horticulture Horticulture completed the following tasks:

• Continued spraying downtown walks and planting areas for weeds. The drier than usual spring has helped decrease the need for herbicide spraying. • Installed two park benches in Gypsy Hill Park. One bench was donated by the DeHaven family in memory of their daughter and the other by Vicki Cash Graff in memory of her parents. Both benches, installed on handicapped accessible brick patios, overlook Gypsy Hill Express. • City Horticulturist Matt Sensabaugh was honored by the Augusta Garden Club on May 18 for service to the club and community over the years. He was made an honorary member of the club. • Ladd Budzinski, the Susan Blackley Horticulture intern, began work in May. The internship is funded by a gift from the Community Foundation of the Central Blue

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Ridge. Mr. Budzinski is a student at Dabney Lancaster Community College studying forestry. • Winter pansy beds performed well due to the cool spring. All tulip foliage was cleaned in early May. Pansies were pulled on May 24 and all beds were tilled and prepped for summer annuals. Planting and mulching of summer annual displays began May 25. The following areas were planted: o Wharf bed and planters o North New Street planters o Landes Park o Statler Boulevard o Augusta/Lambert bed o Gypsy Hill and Montgomery Hall Park beds • Horticulture completed mulching and clean up at the following locations: o Library sensory garden o North New Street island o Churchville Avenue street trees o RMA parking lot o White Star green space o Landes Park o Augusta County courts lot o City courts courtyard o Johnson Street garage o Reservoir Hill Park o Garden Center at Gypsy Hill Park o Grass borders at Gypsy Hill Park tennis courts and Montgomery Hall Park pool o Gypsy Hill Park flag plaza and Statler monument

Maintenance Park Maintenance completed the following duties:

• Installed athletic field mix on all softball and baseball fields. • Continued mowing operations in the parks and all satellite areas. • Built hand washing stations for Camp Staunton. • Maintained playing surfaces for Staunton High School softball, baseball and soccer.

Community Outreach Staff engaged in the following community outreach activities:

• Gypsy Hill Gym hosted the Women’s Volleyball League with seven teams participating made up of 60 participants.

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• Gypsy Hill Gym served as a vaccination site for citizens, and was the site of the American Red Cross Blood Drive, with 56 donors. • The 27th Annual Senior Fishing Derby was held at Lake Tams with over 90 anglers participating. • Booker T. Washington Community Center served as host site for DMV Mobile Connect for three days serving, over 80 citizens. • Several outdoor athletic leagues are well underway with 31 teams participating in co- ed softball and men’s softball. The leagues currently have over 500 players competing. • Continued preparing for Camp Staunton and held several staff meetings. o Staff made changes due to staff shortages. Consolidation of the Montgomery Hall site for children 10 to 12 years old with the Gypsy Hill site of children 10-12 years old resulted in minimal impact on participation. o 136 children are currently enrolled. • Due to staff shortages, recreation employees continued to assist Park Maintenance with field prep, mowing and trimming in Montgomery Hall and Gypsy Hill parks. • The department received a donation from the Lions Club of Staunton in the amount of $36,000 for Duck Pond improvements. Areas addressed with these funds will include the following: o New Duck Pond fountains o Repairs to feeders o Masonry repairs to the Duck Pond Island and retaining walls o Erosion repairs o Installation of underwater lights around the island and lighting for the willow tree.

Police

• The department hired certified police officer Brett Locklair; he began the field training program.

• The department participated in a number of events to commemorate National Police Week between May 9–15.

• Police personnel responded to 2,678 incidents during the month, including 1,553 citizen calls for service, 665 officer-initiated activities, 210 administrative calls, and 250 directed patrols.

• The department’s E-911 Center handled a total of 4,915 telephone calls during the month, including 1,313 9-1-1 calls.

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• The average response time for police emergency calls for service during the month was 3 minutes and 44 seconds; it is 3 minutes and 54 seconds for the year.

Public Works

• Thirteen new customer rental accounts were established. The Public Works Utility Office collected $42,826 in payments.

• New HVAC “split system” ordered for sign shop.

• New storage building ordered for signal supply storage.

• Final details determined for implementation of new centralized recycling facility at Gypsy Hill Park.

• The utility field crew (with assistance from the Streets Division) repaired five water main breaks, one leaking valve, one water service and one meter. The crew cleared blockages in two sewer mains and three sewer laterals. The crew cleaned and inspected 1,900 feet of sewer line.

• The utility locator processed and marked 525 locate tickets for Miss Utility.

• The utility technical services crew replaced a damaged pump at the Franklin Hill pumping station.

• Five filter valve actuators were serviced at the water treatment plant. Two heavy duty dehumidifiers were installed in the plant’s filter galleries to combat pervasive humidity issues.

• Public Works welcomed Dalton Vetter as a water treatment plant operator trainee.

Tourism

Activities The Tourism Department staff took part in the following promotional, networking, or administrative activities in May:

• Attended Coronavirus Travel Sentiment Survey Findings webinar with Destinations Analysts.

• Hosted Mike and Victoria Healy, owners of Celtic Tours in Staunton May 2–7 to assist them in planning The Shenandoah Experience tours for this fall.

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• Met with Staunton Downtown Development Association (SDDA) to discuss a proposal for expanding Shop & Dine Out in Downtown for retailers, non-profit organizations, and live music.

• Organized two social influencer visits for June. YTravel will be visiting June 12 and The Crystal Press will be visiting June 25 and 26.

• Organized a travel writer visit for David Zuchowski scheduled for June 26–27.

• Advertised the Sales & Marketing Manager position, which closes on June 9.

• Managed Visit Staunton social media and blog posts.

• Managed Shenandoah Valley Tourism Partnership (SVTP) blog posts.

• Produced weekly e-newsletters and Staunton on Tap weekly listing of events.

• Produced a monthly e-newsletter.

• Staffed the Tourism Advisory Board meeting.

• Attended a Shenandoah Beerwerks Trail meeting and four SVTP meetings.

Public Relations

The following is a list of newspapers, websites, magazines, and television stations that published articles/stories about Staunton:

Date Headline Source Reach Small-Town Getaways In Driving Distance Of Washingtonian May 21 Washington, DC Magazine 1,000,401 May 11 These Are America's Most Stunning Streets Travel MSN.com 742,777 Senator Tim Kaine Visits Downtown Staunton May 5 Businesses NBC29 WVIR 191,419 Robin & Linda Williams Join The Heifetz Memorial Day Augusta Free May 26 Hootenanny Press 91,140 Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library Seeks Items for Augusta Free May 9 COVID-19 History Exhibit Press 94,140 Virginia's American Shakespeare Center Reopens For Culpeper Star- May 23 Live Performances Exponent 74,910 May 6 The Tragic Tale Of Bessie And Mary PressFrom 65,945 TOTAL REACH 2,263,732

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Website Visitation Website Traffic May 2020 May 2021 % Change 6,313 visitors 34,727 visitors +450% 13,694 page views 63,602 page views +364.5% 52 visitor’s guide requests 239 visitor’s guide requests +359.6%

Website Demographics

Age May 2021 Gender May 2021

3500 Female Male

3000 3,027 2,857 2500 2,670 2,739 2000

1500 1,644 48% 52% 1000 1362

500

0 18-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 65+

Top 10 States Top 10 Metro Areas May 2020 May 2021 May 2020 May 2021 Virginia Virginia Harrisonburg Washington, D.C. Maryland Maryland Washington, DC Baltimore North Carolina District of Columbia Roanoke-Lynchburg Norfolk-Portsmouth- Newport News Pennsylvania Massachusetts Norfolk-Portsmouth- Harrisonburg Newport News Florida North Carolina Richmond-Petersburg Richmond-Petersburg New York New York New York Boston-Manchester Tennessee Pennsylvania Charlottesville Roanoke-Lynchburg California Tennessee Baltimore New York New Jersey Georgia Philadelphia Charlottesville Georgia Florida Nashville Philadelphia

Smith Travel Research (STR) Hotel Occupancy Report

Occupancy 2021 Year To Date (%) Jan Feb Mar Apr 2019 2020 2021 This Year 26.5 30.3 39.9 49.3 44.4 32.4 36.4

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Last Year 35.0 40.9 33.4 20.4 50.0 44.4 32.4 % Change -24.3 -25.9 19.6 141.6 -11.2 -27.1 12.6

The STR Destination Report is a publication of STR, Inc. and STR Global, Ltd., and is intended solely for use by paid subscribers. Reproduction or distribution of the STR Destination Report, in whole or part, without written permission is prohibited and subject to legal action. If you have received this report and are NOT a subscriber to the STR Destination Report, please contact us immediately. Source: 2020 STR, Inc. / STR Global, Ltd. trading as "STR".

Office on Youth

Crime Control Programs • Eight youth received detention alternative services.

Parenting Programs • Three adults participated in Active Parenting class.

• Fifteen adults participated in For Kids Sake co-parenting program.

• Nine adults participated in First 5 Years class.

• Parenting Coordinator participated in the Middle River Regional Jail Re-entry Meeting on May 11. Substance Abuse Prevention Program • Prevention Coordinator participated in an outreach project with Staunton High School Students Against Destructive Decisions Club. The club painted benches and a concrete wall at Gypsy Hill Park on May 1.

• Prevention Coordinator participated in a Community Coalitions of Virginia monthly meeting, which was held virtually on May 3.

• Coordinator participated in Substance Use and Abuse: How to Support Children, Youth, and Families During the Pandemic, presented by the Department of Criminal Justice Services, on May 18, 19 and 20.

Check and Connect/Truancy Prevention • Supplemental Education Coordinator provided services to 22 students and their families. Of the 22 participants, seven students were from Staunton High School and five were from Shelburne Middle School

Teen Pregnancy Prevention • Teen Pregnancy Prevention (TPP) Coordinator participated in a webinar training, “Co- regulation; Strategies and Tolls for Program Staff to Foster Youth Self-Regulation” presented by the Dibble Institute on May 12.

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Community • Director participated in the Community Policy Management Team meeting on May 3.

• Division Supervisor attended Staunton Family Assessment Planning Team meetings on May 4 and 18.

• The Regional Youth Commission met on May 19.

• Four Office on Youth staff assisted in an event with Walk-n-Wheel Waynesboro at Groovin’ on the Greenway on May 20.

• Division Supervisor and TPP Coordinator participated in meeting with ARROW Project Director, Sabrina Burress to discuss partnering for summer programming on May 27.

Staunton Downtown Development Association1

Design Committee The street level plantings and hanging baskets were placed prior to Memorial Day weekend and will remain cared for until Labor Day.

Economic Vitality The Shenandoah Valley LGBTQ Center was a recent recipient of the Better Together grant to help fund their partnership with ShenanArts to establish story teller events at the end of June and September.

Promotions • Janie Ballurio (The Bookstack) and Sarah Skrobis (Staunton Public Library) were the most recent guests for the Staunton Stories series which airs on Thursdays at 6 p.m. on 106.3 WQSV Staunton. Past episodes are available online at https://www.stauntondowntown.org/staunton-stories/

• Business owners continued to share stories of how Shop & Dine Out in Downtown has allowed them to remain in operation during the pandemic. Community members and visitors remark how they greatly enjoy the event on Beverley Street.

Shenandoah Valley Regional Airport Ambassadors Greg Beam was asked to serve as one of the Shenandoah Valley Regional Airport (SHD) Ambassadors for the coming year to assist with the promotion of the value of local air

1 The Staunton Downtown Development Association (SDDA) is an independent, non-profit corporation, separate from the City of Staunton. Pursuant to the Staunton City Code and a contract with the City, SDDA provides facilities and services funded by the City in the City’s downtown service district. SDDA furnishes information to the City Manager’s Office for inclusion in this Activity Report to update the City in the performance of its obligations. 23

service. SHD states that connections to major markets for business and leisure travel and are instrumental in regional economic development efforts. Staunton Downtown Development Association (SDDA) Economic Vitality Chair Sarah Lynch is also serving as an ambassador.

Tourism Advisory Board Meeting Mr. Beam participated in the Tourism Advisory Board meeting, providing updates regarding upcoming happenings and projects in downtown Staunton.

Student Internships Two Staunton Montessori School students continued to make strides on developing A Teen’s Guide to Downtown. Recent interviews include: Gloria Gerber, Nick Blanton, Gretchen Long, Frank Strassler and Debbie Irwin. These interviews will be edited into shorter clips to broadcast on the SDDA’s website and for posting on social media this summer.

Visit by U.S. Senator Tim Kaine During U.S. Senator Tim Kaine’s visit to Staunton on May 5, Mr. Beam, participated in a presentation/discussion with Senator Kaine, Staunton city leaders and economic development professionals on current challenges facing Staunton. Mr. Beam, along with Mayor Andrea Oakes, led a walking tour of downtown businesses and organizations during which time, Senator Kaine was able to meet with business owners and nonprofit leaders to speak briefly about their experiences amid COVID-19 and learn of help received through federal COVID relief efforts. The tour included visits to Essentially Zen, The Well- Balanced Paw, American Shakespeare Center, Baja Bean & Co. and Chicano Boy Taco. The SDDA enjoyed the opportunity to treat Senator Kaine, his staff and Mayor Oakes to lunch at Chicano Boy Taco, on Cinco De Mayo.

Vax The Valley Mr. Beam met with staff members of the Central Shenandoah Health District and Augusta Health, developing plans to create a Vax The Valley vaccination/concert series that will occur in late July, early August. This free event will allow opportunities for members of the community to receive free COVID-19 vaccinations, provided by trained staff members of Augusta Health. The kick-off of the Vax The Valley event is tentatively scheduled to take place in downtown Staunton at the Sunspots Pavilion, from 4 to 7 p.m. on Saturday, July 24.

Staunton/Augusta County African American Research Society Mr. Beam recently met with board officers and members of Staunton/Augusta County African American Research Society to listen and learn of ways in which the SDDA, downtown merchants and organizations may better assist with highlighting African- American history in Staunton.

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