Coca-Cola Bottling Works joins historic register, how to safely take a picture of upcoming solar eclipse: THE DIGEST
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Virginia Landmarks Register
STAUNTON – A local landmark symbolizing the regional growth of one of the most iconic brands in the nation, Staunton's Coca-Cola Bottling Works has been added to the Virginia Landmarks Register, according to a press release from the Virginia Department of Historic Resources.
Constructed in three phases starting in 1927, the Staunton Coca-Cola Bottling Works building is located on a major thoroughfare in the City of Staunton.
The building occupies a roughly 0.71-acre urban lot just north of the city’s downtown area. From the front the Coca-Cola Bottling Works building is most reflective of the 1964 renovation, which features a series of full-height bays covered with mosaic tiles, speckled with occasional color and a tile mosaic of a bottle of Coca-Cola.
While the bottling business moved to a larger facility in the 1970s, the building represents the regional growth of the Coca-Cola Company in Virginia during its years of operation by producing soda, serving as a steady source of employment for local citizens, and playing an active role in the Staunton community.
Shenandoah National Park announces new online interactive
The newest web-based program from Shenandoah National Park, "Life at Lewis Mountain: Shenandoah in the Jim Crow Era," gives students, and others, the opportunity to explore how African Americans experienced Shenandoah National Park during segregation. The program also touches on the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s and the struggle for desegregation. July 2 will be the 60th anniversary of the 1964 Civil Rights Act.
It's the fourth in its series of web-based curriculums in March, according to a press release from the National Park Service. The interactives are designed for high school students to explore national events and cultural changes through the lens of Shenandoah National Park. All are aligned with Virginia and national standards of learning.
“Life at Lewis Mountain” is the result of decades of research and collaboration. Audrey Tutt Smith, one of the Lewis Mountain staff in the 1950s, has worked closely as an advisor to park staff for over two decades. She has been an instrumental part of Shenandoah’s efforts to provide this story in the park’s exhibitry, as well as through this curriculum-based interactive.
“We are grateful to our partners in this endeavor,” said Shenandoah Superintendent Pat Kenney. “Ms. Tutt-Smith, as well as other former Lewis Mountain staff, and members of the local Black community shared their stories and experiences generously. We could not have created this product without them.”
“We also appreciate those who supported the project with funding,” said Kenney. The Appalachian Mountain Club donated funds to engage the Federal Research Division of the National Archives to provide additional research.
"The Appalachian Mountain Club congratulates the National Park Service for telling the story of Shenandoah in the Jim Crow Era," said Nicole Zussman, president & CEO of the Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC). "As an organization committed to reducing economic and social barriers to the outdoors, AMC knows it can't welcome everyone to Be Outdoors until we end the silence around the history of exclusion and segregation in outdoor spaces. We applaud the tireless efforts of the AMC Potomac Chapter in partnership with Shenandoah National Park to share this history with vivid immediacy. We are grateful to the National Park Service for the opportunity to contribute to a project that advances AMC's mission to foster the protection, enjoyment, and understanding of the outdoors."
All four educational curriculums can be accessed on the park’s website at https://www.nps.gov/shen/learn/photosmultimedia/interactive-features.htm
Educators who are interested in professional development workshops about the park’s curriculums should contact the park’s education office at SHEN_Education@nps.gov.
What to learn how to take pictures of the solar eclipse?
A solar eclipse will hide the sun for over four minutes on April 8.
The last eclipse was in 2017 and the next won’t come until 2044, according to NASA in reporting from USAToday. The scarcity of the event will prompt many to try to take a picture, but doing so could damage your camera as quickly as looking at the eclipse can damage your bare eye.
This doesn’t mean you can’t get a picture!
A webinar hosted by USAToday will feature four professional photographers, giving all the details needed to safely and successfully get the shot. The photographers include Albert Cesare, Courtney Hergesheimer, Angela Piazza, and Chris Pietsch.
“Topics will include safety, planning and the technical approach to getting great photos from the eclipse,” reads the announcement email. “Registration is free and the webinar will last an hour.”
More information can be found by clicking this link to one of The News Leader's sister newspapers. The registration page can be found here.
Staunton housing authority highlights new executive director
STAUNTON – Last year, former Staunton Redevelopment and Housing Authority (SRHA) Executive Director Wanda Stevens announced she was leaving the position after over two decades leading the board. Though not wildly publicized, the SRHA board filled the position last May with its current executive director, Nehemias Velez.
"His experience with another regional public housing authority, combined with a dedication to providing affordable housing, and maintaining the SRHA’s overall mission, has been evident," SRHA boardmember Jonathan Mason wrote to The News Leader. He was hired from a pool of 60 applicants.
Since being hired, Velez and his staff have focused on housing insecurity, managing the housing choice voucher program and two multi-family apartment complexes. Mason also highlighted Velez's efforts to enroll the organization in the Housing & Urban Development (HUD) Moving to Work program which resulted in SRHA being "the only public housing authority in the state selected in the July 2023 MTW Flexibility II Cohort."
"The SRHA considers the designation an honor," Mason wrote.
According to the SRHA website, the organization "provides safe and affordable housing to members of its community to enhance quality of life, promote economic opportunity, and offer a suitable living environment free from discrimination."
VDOT traffic alert from March 25 to March 29
STAUNTON – The following is a list of highway work that may affect traffic in the Staunton transportation district during the coming weeks. Scheduled work is subject to change due to inclement weather and material supplies. Motorists are advised to watch for slow-moving tractors during mowing operations. When traveling through a work zone, be alert to periodic changes in traffic patterns and lane closures.
INTERSTATE 64
No lane closures reported.
INTERSTATE 81
Mile marker 205 to 206, northbound – Shoulder closures for maintenance to bridge over Route 606 (Raphine Road), 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Friday.
Mile marker 206 to 205, southbound – No lane closures but survey work in right of way, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. through Friday.
Mile marker 212 to 214, northbound – Overnight single lane closures for maintenance to Route 11 bridge, 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. through Thursday night.
*NEW* Mile marker 220 to 218, southbound – Overnight single lane closures for maintenance to Route 647 overpass bridge, 8 p.m. to 7 a.m. Sunday and Monday nights.
*NEW* Mile marker 221 to 223, northbound and southbound – Right shoulder closures for sign work, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Mile marker 221 to 227, northbound and southbound – Overnight right lane and shoulder closures for shoulder strengthening work, 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. through Thursday night. Daytime shoulder closures for installation of signs, 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday. Work is related to I-81 widening project.
PRIMARY ROADS
*NEW* Route 11 (Lee Highway) – Flagger traffic control between Rockbridge County line and I-81 interchange at Greenville for vegetation control, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday and Tuesday.
Route 11 (Lee Highway) – Northbound right lane closures between Route 940 (Dick Huff Lane) and Staunton city limits for sidewalk installation, 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. through May 24.
*NEW* Route 42 (Little Calf Pasture Highway) – Shoulder closures between Route 688 (Old Parkersburg Turnpike) and Route 1130 (East Village Lane) for sign work, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
*NEW* Route 250 (Hankey Mountain Highway) – Shoulder closures between Route 715 (Braley Pond Road) and Route 629 (Deerfield Valley Road) for sign work, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
*NEW* Route 254 (Parkersburg Turnpike) – Shoulder closures near Route 42 (Buffalo Gap Highway) intersection for sign work, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Route 262 (Woodrow Wilson Parkway) – Eastbound and westbound left shoulder closures due to widening project in the area of the Route 252 (Middlebrook Avenue) interchange, 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 a.m. through April 30.
SECONDARY ROADS
Route 602 (Summerdean Road) – Utility work in right of way between Route 682 (McKinley Road) and Route 677 (Shemariah Road), 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Thursday.
Route 612 (Quick’s Mill Road) – Pilot truck and flagger traffic control between Route 11 (Lee Highway) and Route 626 (Berry Farm Road/Limestone Road) for milling and paving operations, 6:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. through April 5.
Route 624 (South Delphine Avenue, Waynesboro) – Shoulder closures between South Oak Lane and Chinquapin Drive for work related to construction of Waynesboro Southern Corridor, through May 30, 2025.
Route 635 (Barterbrook Road) – Closed between I-81 frontage roads (FR-217 and FR-218) for bridge replacement as part of I-81 southbound auxiliary lane project. Follow posted detour. Expected completion summer 2025.
Route 654 (White Hill Road) – Flagger traffic control near I-81 interchange for maintenance to bridge over I-81, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. through Friday.
Route 664 (Mount Torrey Road) – Shoulder closures and occasional flagger traffic control between Route 624 (Lyndhurst Road) and Route 894 (Mount Torrey Road) for water line installation, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Friday. Estimated completion summer 2024.
Route 664 (Lyndhurst Road, Waynesboro) – Shoulder closures between Miami Avenue and Purdue Street for work related to construction of Waynesboro Southern Corridor, through June 30, 2025.
Route 675 (Broadhead School Road) – Flagger traffic control between Route 11 (Lee-Jackson Highway) and Route 604 (McClures Mill Road) for utility work, 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. through Thursday.
*NEW* Route 693 (Cedar Green Road) – Flagger traffic control between Route 252 (Middlebrook Road) and Route 254 (Parkersburg Turnpike) for inspection of bridge over CSX Railway, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday.
*NEW* Route 732 (Roman Road) – Closed to through traffic between Liberty School Road and Route 745 (Todd Road) for replacement of bridge with concrete pipe, 8 a.m. April 1 to 4 p.m. April 11. Follow posted detour.
Route 796 (Kiddsville Road) – Flagger traffic control between Route 797 (Miller Road) and Route 608 (Long Meadow Road) for utility work, 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. through Thursday.
Various roads – Mobile traffic control for mowing operations. Flagger traffic control for drainage work, tree removal, shoulder repairs, pavement patching and brush cutting, 7:30 to 3 p.m. on weekdays.
Bridge closure begins April 1
STAUNTON – Part of Route 732 (Roman Road) in Augusta County will be closed to through traffic for about a week and a half beginning Monday, April 1 at 8 a.m. The closure is between Route 616 (Liberty School Road) and Route 745 (Todd Road) near Mount Sidney. It allows the Virginia Department of Transportation to replace the bridge over a Middle River tributary with a concrete pipe.
Local traffic will be able to access properties along Route 732 on either side of the work zone. Through traffic will detour as follows:
Drivers approaching from the south will turn right on Route 745 (Todd Road), then left onto Route 616 (Liberty School Road) to return to Route 732.
Drivers approaching from the north will turn left onto Route 616 (Liberty School Road), then turn right onto Route 745 (Todd Road) to return to Route 732.
The Route 732 bridge replacement is scheduled for completion on or about Thursday, April 11 at 4 p.m. All work is weather permitting.
This article originally appeared on Staunton News Leader: Coca-Cola Bottling Works joins historic register, learn how to safely take a picture of upcoming solar eclipse: THE DIGEST
