Great things come through partnership

The Power of Partnership was evident last week on several fronts.

First, we saw the inaugural North East Regional train arrive in Culpeper on Wednesday. The partnership between local, state, federal, public, and private sectors produced a resource that will enrich our transportation options from Culpeper substantially.

I rode the North East Regional from Culpeper to Lynchburg on Wednesday and listened to the president of Amtrak, the president of Norfolk Southern, Gov. Tim Kaine, former Gov. Linwood Holton Jr., Mayor Pranas Rimeikis and many other dignitaries recognize the strategic leadership demonstrated in overcoming the challenges to make this train a reality.

Among the team of leaders that worked behind the scenes for years to see the success were Councilman Chris Snider, Meredith Richards of the Piedmont Rail Coalition, and Lynchburg Chamber of Commerce President Rex Hammond. The U.S. 29 corridor was served well by all who partnered together.

We now have a new means of traveling to Washington for business, a new means of travel locally to explore other towns and cities along the route, and a new source of tourists to experience the charm of Culpeper.

The power of partnership was evident again in Culpeper as the town and county officials met to discuss the options for progress in optimizing our water and sewer resources. The factors for such discussions have been challenging for all involved.

However, like the success of the Northeast Regional train, progress for the greater good of the community comes through leadership, compromise and fortitude.

The path that we take will determine whether we will be faced with paying for redundant infrastructure as taxpayers or if we will use our resources efficiently as prudent investments for our citizens.

Most agree that growth is very likely given our location in Virginia. We have an opportunity to attract the best growth as we are prepared with the necessary infrastructure. Water and sewer is a major part of that equation. Our officials are on the right track as they lead Culpeper in continuing to make progress towards solutions.

Finally, The Culpeper Chamber of Commerce partnered in a “Power of Partnership” joint mixer with the Greater Prince William Chamber of Commerce and the Fauquier Chamber of Commerce. The Inn at Vint Hill was in perfect form for the event. The mixer was a rare opportunity to meet and network with the businesses of two excellent Chambers of Commerce. The major sponsorship was by Vint Hill Economic Development — an impressive economic development program.

We advance our opportunities by reaching out in the power of partnership. Culpeper is a unique position to benefit from and enrich our friends to the north, east, south, and west. Our location opens the door to such partnership. There is gold in the river of economic turbulence. We truly found gold in the power of partnership this past week.