George Washington Carver Food Enterprise Center Development Phase 1

Community Development Block Grant

Community Development Block Grants (CDBG)

Virginia’s Community Development Block Grant program provides funding to eligible units of local government to address the lack of public utilities and infrastructure, to include water services, wastewater services, drainage improvements and street improvements. Assistance under this option is generally targeted to projects involving water and wastewater improvements, particularly those involving new services to low-and moderate-income persons.

This Program has been administered by the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) since 1982. CDBG funds are made available to DHCD by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

Previous CDBG applications made by Culpeper County

Coffeewood Correctional Facility, located in Mitchells, Virginia is a medium security prison complex with a separate juvenile detention facility. The Virginia Department of Corrections provides the County with 20,000 GPD of treatment capacity for off-site use.

At this location the County used a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) to assist with funding a small diameter force main grinder pump sewer system. The primary goal of the sewer system is to provide sewer service for low to moderate income (LMI) households and residences with failing septic systems. A secondary goal is to provide sewer service to other existing residential, commercial or institutional structures, at risk of failing septic systems due to poor soils in the area. Other residences and structures within the limited service area, which do not qualify as LMI households, will be allowed to connect to the system. The County intends to minimize public health problems associated with failing or failed septic systems in the limited service area. It does not act as a public utility providing sewer service to the general public. New construction is not eligible for sewer service. Non-LMI households, which elect to connect to the system, have to pay for onsite improvements and service connections at their expense.

Rappahannock-Rapidan Regional Food System Analysis

You Have a Fork at the

Table!

Michelle Edwards, RRRC

Regional Food System Planning Effort

1. Asset Assessment

2. Economic Analysis

3. 12 Stakeholder Interviews

4. Producer surveys

5. 5 Focus Group Meetings

6. Regional Farm and Food Plan

Economic Analysis Results

• 90% of the food consumed in our food system is produced outside of it = $7 billion/year loss of potential local revenue.

• Farmers in the region spend an average of $47 million more producing crops and livestock each year than selling them

• 70% of the region’s farmers reported a loss in 2012

• Average age of principal farm operators in the region is 60.4 years old

Core Obstacles

1. Lack of farm labor

2. Lack of farmers

3. Lack of infrastructure, including need for community kitchen for value-added products

4. Need for local food promotion/consumer education

Priority Projects1. Create a Regional Food System Council

2. Develop a Local Food Regional Marketing Plan

3. Foster Development of a Community Kitchen and Food Processing Center

4. Foster Development of a Food Node/Aggregation Center

5. Develop Farmer Mentorship Programs

6. Foster Farm Labor Internship Programs

7. Conduct a Regional Farm Labor Needs Assessment

8. Explore Feasibility of a Mobile Slaughter Unit

9. Promote Existing Resources

Main School Building

Carver Center

Carver Feasibility Study

• Architectural/Engineering Assessment of the Carver Center– Assessed condition of main school building and outbuildings– Preliminary costs for required repairs and other recommendations

• Food Processing Feasibility Assessment– Market Analysis– Financial and Concept Plan

• Agriculture Research, Training, and Education Assessment– Inventory of existing programs– Identified gaps and/or partnership opportunities

George Washington Carver Food Enterprise Center

Purpose• Food Business

Incubator• Stone Soup Job

Skills Training• Food Processing

Food Business Incubator• Inspected/certifie

d space• Shared use of

equipment• Monthly fee

includes utilities, space, mailing address, training

Stone Soup Job Skills Training

• Operating since 2015

• Food safety, customer service, basic culinary skills, nutrition, shopping skills

• 6 week program• Work with

Rappahannock Goodwill on job/intern placement

Food Processing• Value added

processing• Focus on freezing• High acid foods• Co-packing – own

or our recipe