Harrisonburg City Council met Tuesday evening to hear updates on several city projects.

Grant Amendment

The council heard a proposal to amend the city’s 2024 Community Block Development Grant action plan.

Kristin McCombe, the city’s CDBG coordinator, introduced the proposal. McCombe said the proposal was introduced after the Suitcase Clinic, which initially received the grant funding, requested that the funding be reallocated.

The clinic, a nonprofit organization dedicated to bringing health care to unhoused people, cited staffing issues as their reason for wanting to reallocate the funds.

No action was taken on the issue Tuesday evening. City residents will have 30 days to comment on the issue.

Homeless Center Naming

The council heard a proposal to rename the city’s new Homeless Services Center.

Amy Snider, the city’s deputy city manager, introduced the proposal. Snider suggested renaming the in-progress facility, at 1111 N. Main St., to The Navigation Center. A public comment period will be open for 30 days, during which community members may suggest alternative names.

The center will offer shelter for unhoused adults, and is being built in cooperation with several local organizations, such as Sentara Health and the Suitcase Clinic. The center will be operated by Open Doors, who have operated a thermal shelter for unhoused individuals in the city in the past. It is projected to be completed in time for the 2024-2025 thermal season, during which unhoused people are at risk of hypothermia.

Nate Riddle, executive director of Open Doors, said the nonprofit organization supported the suggested name, and was thankful for the council’s support.

Environmental Grant Program

The council heard a presentation to apply for a grant from the Environmental Protection Agency’s Community Change Grant Program.

Luke Morgan, the city’s grants and programs analyst, introduced the proposal. Morgan explained the requirements for the application, including a partnership with a local statutory organization  — in this case, Church World Services — along with a minimum budget of $1 million, and positive impact to local communities.

In addition, Morgan, together with Keith Thomas, the city’s sustainability and environmental manager, suggested the city partner with the Northeast Neighborhood Association for the grant application.

Following Morgan’s presentation, Thomas explained the Environmental Action Plan that would accompany the application. He said the keystones of it would include elements like local resiliency and adaptation, public engagement, clean energy, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Thomas said the result of this project would likely be a video series translated into eight different languages through community cooperation.

Thomas added that, if the application was accepted, the city would create a new position to track change resulting from the project over time, as required by the EPA. In addition, the city would aim to retain a consultant to assist with the project's focus areas.

Morgan explained that the EPA program operates on a rolling deadline. As a result of this, the EPA could accept the application at any time.

EATS Program

The council heard a presentation on a new program to help local businesses engage in the city’s Environmental Action Plan.

Keith Thomas led the presentation. The program, called Eateries Acting Towards Sustainability, will be voluntary, and have three levels according to Thomas, with the first level having the lowest barrier to entry. Level One, called “Sprout,” will focus on assessing the need for single-use plastic items like cutlery and take-out containers.

Level Two, “Bloom,” will build on Level One by phasing out single-use plastics entirely. Level Three, “Harvest,” will include Levels One and Two, and add emphasis on reducing energy use.

The program would include several areas of concern, such as food waste, land use, and water use, according to Thomas. Details of the program were refined using data gathered from similar programs in other localities across the country. One data point was whether the monetary benefits, which could vary based on the business and the level of engagement with the program, would be worth the investment for local eateries.

Thomas also offered examples of local eateries that could qualify for different levels of the EATS program, with Drifters Cafe fitting into Level Two, and A Bowl of Good qualifying for Level Three.

Smart Scale Resolutions

The council heard an update on resolutions of support for grant applications to the Virginia Department of Transportation's Smart Scale program.

Tom Hartman, director of the city's Department of Public Works, presented the update. He highlighted five potential projects that Public Works could submit applications for. These included an extension of Bluestone Trail to end at Rocktown High School, revamping the Mt. Clinton Pike corridor with roundabouts and sidewalks, constructing a median on Reservoir Street, improving the intersection of Port Republic Road and Interstate 81, and a series of updates for the South Main Street corridor.

Hartman said the applications would be due Aug. 1 and should hear back on whether the applications were approved by mid-2025.

Reallocation

The council unanimously approved a request to provide supplemental funding to projects previously supported by funds from the American Rescue Plan Act.

This was the first of several reallocations to support projects across the city that help further the city’s Vision 2043 Plan. This first reallocation redirected $1.15 million from the city’s general capital projects fund for the Spraygrounds project at Ralph Sampson Park.