- Congress chose the city of Bedford for the $12 million National D-Day Memorial because the community lost 21 men, the highest per capita loss of life of any American community. The project should be completed by June 6, 2001.

- The $6 million renovation of the Kemper Street train station in Lynchburg will turn the facility into a hub for rail, taxi and bus service.

- Industrial and commercial parks are being constructed in Montvale in Bedford County at a cost of between $1.6 million and $1.8 million. The industrial site has 45 acres and the commercial site has 19 acres.

- Bedford Center for Business is nearly complete at a cost of about $1.8 million. The industrial park is home to a 50,000-square-foot shell building that is being used by the local courts until renovations are completed on its downtown Bedford site. The $2.2 million shell building will be available in about two and a half years.

- To accommodate growth, Bedford County is building two new elementary schools at a cost of about $19 million. They’re slated to open in September. A third is on the drawing board, as is a $12.5 million renovation of Liberty High School.

- Appomattox County is spending an estimated $2 million on the first phase of its first industrial park. The Appomattox County Industrial Park should be open by next summer on 480 acres.

- Appomattox County recently approved a plan to replace an aging elementary school at a cost of $9 million. The new school should be ready for students in two years.