Friday, August 16, 2013

Charlie Chan At The Olympics - Classic Movie



Our classic movie feature for Friday is Charlie Chan at the Olympics.  Featuring Warner Oland as Charlie Chan.  Warner Oland was in more Charlie Chan movies than any other actor that we have been able to determine and our favorite in the part.

Ace Chinese detective Charlie Chan and his son Lee who is an Olympic swimmer at the 1936 Summer Olympics face murder, intrigue and mystery!

When an experimental plane is hijacked and its pilot murdered, the new guidance system that will allow it to fly unmanned is stolen. Charlie traces the strategically important invention to the current summer Olympic games in Berlin, where myriad spies, enemy agents, and hard-core criminals are ruthlessly pursuing it in order to sell it to another government. Charlie's son Lee, a member of the U.S. Olympic Swim Team, is on hand to help his father recover the device and solve the mystery!

Classic Movies here on GVLN.
Warner Oland, a Swedish American Actor portray...
Warner Oland, a Swedish American Actor portraying Charlie Chan, a Chinese Hawaiian detective. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
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Governor McDonnell Tours Oyster Shucking House Bustling with Increased Harvest Activity

Chargrilled oysters
Chargrilled oysters (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
~ Over past decade Virginia’s oyster harvest increased ten-fold; Dockside value increased from $575,000 to more than $8.75 million~
Last year’s harvest largest since 1987; Preliminary estimates predict continued growth this year
Virginia is the largest East Coast producer and the nation’s third largest overall producer of marine products

WEEMS– Governor McDonnell today toured Kellum Seafood Company’s oyster harvesting, shucking and packing facility in Weems, located in the Northern Neck along the Rappahannock River, to witness first-hand the strides made by Virginia’s oyster industry and to celebrate the industry’s growth in recent years, highlighted by a 28 percent leap in last year’s harvest. Over the past decade, the oyster harvest in Virginia has increased ten-fold, from 23,000 bushels in the 2001 oyster season to 250,000 bushels in the 2011 season. In that time, the dockside value of the oyster harvest increased from $575,000 to $8.75 million in 2011. Virginia continues to be the largest East Coast producer, and the nation’s third largest overall producer, of marine products.

            “Virginia’s oyster industry has made remarkable strides, and indications are this year’s harvest may be the best we’ve seen in the past quarter-century,’’ Governor McDonnell said. “Good management has allowed us to put our excellent oysters on dinner tables around the world, to create good jobs for our citizens and to bring new revenue into our state. And we’re on pace for even more growth in the oyster industry.  As oyster companies like Kellum Seafood continue to grow, they know they’ve got a friend in Richmond. Working with the General Assembly, we’re laser focused on putting in place policies that help job-creators like Tommy Kellum continue to expand their operations, and employ more Virginians in the process.”

            The Virginia Marine Resources Commission’s preliminary harvest reports indicate the 2012-13 oyster season harvest has increased another 28 percent, to more than 320,000 bushels, with a dockside value of $11.2 million, making it the largest oyster harvest in Virginia since 1987.

            Kellum Seafood was founded three generations ago in a one-room oyster shucking house and has grown into an operation that grows, harvests, shucks, packs and ships oysters from water bottom the company leases from the state, as well as oysters caught from public oyster rocks by commercial watermen. Kellum Seafood’s plant has grown over the years to a 10,000 square foot facility complete with storage and on-site U.S. Department of Commerce inspections.

            “The oyster industry is growing and has a bright future,’’ said Tommy Kellum, current partner and vice-president of Kellum Seafood and the third generation of Kellums to manage the operation. “I’m so convinced of that that I’m expanding our operations and have recently purchased a new vessel to help accommodate the growth. Growth means jobs. The Governor and his Administration deserve a lot of credit.”

            “Good fishery management has produced excellent results that are bearing fruit in the form of larger harvests, a growing industry and more jobs,” said Doug Domenech, Secretary of Natural Resources. “This is a win for the health of the Bay, for oyster-lovers and for our hard-pressed watermen in these difficult economic times.”

            Thanks to a record $2 million appropriated in the state budget for oyster replenishment by Governor McDonnell and the Virginia General Assembly, VMRC mined fossil oyster shells this summer from the James River (augmented with available empty oyster shells from shucking houses such as Kellum Seafood) and planted roughly 1 billion individual empty oyster shells on public oyster grounds. It was enough to fill approximately 4,000 dump trucks.

            Those empty shells will become homes for naturally occurring oyster larvae that attach to them during spawning and grow to form new adult oysters that will reach market size in roughly three years. The replenishment program provides significant ecological as well as economic benefits. A single adult oyster can purge up to 50 gallons of water a day. Oyster reefs provide important forage and refuge habitat for invertebrates, as well as juvenile crabs and finfish species.

            “While some of these oyster replenishment shells went onto our oyster sanctuaries, the majority went onto our new rotational oyster harvest areas, meaning they will be untouched for several years as they grow to adulthood and spawn a new generation of oysters before they can be harvested,” said Virginia Marine Resources Commissioner Jack Travelstead. “It is important they be harvested at that point because otherwise they are susceptible to two diseases, Dermo and MSX, which kill adult oysters. We don’t want to see these oysters wasted to disease.”

            VMRC’s Dr. Jim Wesson estimates every $1 spent by the state to plant oyster shell yields $7 in economic benefits in the form of larger harvests, and increased jobs for oyster shucking, processing, packing and shipping houses.

            Over the past five years of rotational harvests, the harvest off public oyster grounds has almost quadrupled, from 36,000 bushels in the 2008 oyster season to 137,000 bushels in 2012.  If oyster replenishment funding is continued at its current level, and environmental conditions remain unchanged, Wesson estimates the harvest from public oyster grounds could grow to 200,000 bushels in 2016 and that combined with anticipated increases in oyster aquaculture production, could push Virginia’s oyster harvest to 500,000 bushels in 2016 – which, if realized, would be a 56 percent increase from the preliminary 2012 harvest level.

            “The significant gains in oyster aquaculture over the last few years have solidified the Commonwealth’s position in the global marketplace as a top producer of the highest quality oysters,’’ said Todd Haymore, Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry. “The Governor has promoted Virginia's outstanding marine products, including our world-class oysters, on all of his domestic and international trade missions, resulting in new sales to key markets along the East Coast and to Asia and Europe. With fortified domestic marketing efforts and new Virginia agricultural trade offices now open in China and Great Britain and one to open soon in Canada, we expect more sales opportunities in the months ahead for our oyster producers and exporters.”

            The Virginia seafood industry is one of the oldest industries in the United States and one of the Commonwealth's largest. According to the Virginia Marine Products Board, the marketing arm of Virginia's seafood industry, Virginia is the nation's third largest producer of marine products, behind only Alaska and Louisiana, with total landings of almost 495 million pounds in 2011, the most recent year with full economic data. The dockside value from these landing to watermen alone was just under $192 million.

            Agriculture, under which Virginia seafood industry falls, and forestry are Virginia's largest industries, with a combined economic impact of $79 billion annually: $55 billion from agriculture and $24 billion from forestry. The industries also provide approximately 500,000 jobs in the Commonwealth according to the Weldon Cooper for Public Service at the University of Virginia.
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Most Back Pain Treatments Are Ineffective and Unnecessary

An estimated 80 percent of Americans will suffer from chronic back pain at some point in life. Nearly 30 percent may be struggling with persistent or chronic back pain right now,1 leading many to resort to prescription painkillers, expensive steroid shots or even surgery.
This despite the fact that, in most cases, back pain is a result of simple mechanical problems relating to poor posture or improper movement, which are best prevented and managed by regular exercise and strengthening your back and abdominal muscles.
It is estimated that back pain accounts for more than 10 percent of all primary care doctors visits each year, and the cost for treatment stacks up to $86 billion annually.2 According to recent research, much of this treatment is unnecessary, while simultaneously failing to successfully address the problem.
As reported by The New York Times:3
“Well-established guidelines for the treatment of back pain require very conservative management — in most cases, no more than aspirin or acetaminophen (Tylenol) and physical therapy.
Advanced imaging procedures, narcotics and referrals to other physicians are recommended only for the most refractory cases or those with serious other symptoms. But a study published in JAMA Internal Medicine4suggests that doctors are not following the guidelines.”

Back Pain Is Often Over-Treated

The team reviewed more than 23,900 outpatient visits for back pain that was unrelated to more serious conditions (such as cancer) over a 12-year period (1999-2010), and found that during this time:5
  • Use of Tylenol and other NSAIDs declined by just over 50 percent
  • Prescriptions for opiates increased by 51 percent
  • CT and MRI scans also rose by 57 percent
  • Referrals to specialists increased by 106 percent
  • Use of physical therapy remained steady at about 20 percent
Needless to say, the trend shows that back pain is increasingly being treated with addictive drugs and diagnostic exams that expose patients to potentially unnecessary and dangerous levels of radiation. Back pain is actually one of the primary reasons why so many American adults get addicted to pain killers.
Furthermore, the existing treatments do not cure back pain—they only treat the symptoms. Senior author, Dr. Bruce E. Landon, a professor of health care policy at Harvard, told The New York Times6 that back pain actually tends to improve by itself in most cases, adding:
“It’s a long conversation for physicians to educate patients. Often it’s easier just to order a test or give a narcotic rather than having a conversation. It’s not always easy to do the right thing.”
Opiates are not the only dangerous drugs being pushed for back pain. One of the most egregious examples of Big Pharma disease mongering7 is the emergence of ads suggesting your back pain may be caused by ankylosing spondylitis, a chronic inflammatory disease of the axial skeleton, which includes the spine.
“Do you have back pain? Are you dismissing it as resulting from "lifting too much" at the gym or "bad posture”? one radio ad asks. “You might have ankylosing spondylitis.”
The drug advertised is Humira, which has a price tag of about $20,000 a year. It is reprehensible for drug companies to promote this expensive and dangerous drug for an exceedingly rare cause of low back pain, which likely is responsible for less than a tenth of a tenth of one percent of low back pain!
Side effects of the drug8 include tuberculosis, serious infections, increased risk of lymphoma and other cancers, hepatitis B infection in carriers of the virus, allergic reactions, nervous system problems, blood problems, heart failure, certain immune reactions including a lupus-like syndrome, liver problems, new or worsening psoriasis, and many more. Considering the fact that most cases of low back pain are not caused by inflammatory conditions, you probably do not need this drug, although your doctor may very well give it to you should you ask.

Don’t Settle for Band-Aids—Treat the Root Cause of Your Back Pain

With the exception of blunt force injuries, low back pain is commonly caused and exacerbated by:
Poor posturePoor physical conditioning facilitated by inactivityInternal disease, such as kidney stones, infections, blood clots
ObesityPsychological/emotional stressOsteoporosis (bone loss)

Since poor posture and/or improper movement is to blame for most cases of back pain, one of the best things you can do to prevent and manage back pain is to exercise regularly and keep your back and abdominal muscles strong. Foundation Training—an innovative method developed by Dr. Eric Goodman to treat his own chronic low back pain—is an excellent alternative to the Band Aid responses so many are given. The program is inexpensive and can be surprisingly helpful, as these exercises are designed to help you strengthen your entire core and move the way nature intended.
Many people fail to realize that many times back pain actually originates from tension and imbalance at a completely different place than where the pain is felt. For example, the very act of sitting for long periods of time ends up shortening the iliacus, psoas and quadratus lumborum muscles that connect from your lumbar region to the top of your femur and pelvis. When these muscles are chronically short, it can cause severe pain when you stand up as they will effectively pull your lower back (lumbar) forward.
The reality is that the imbalance among the anterior and posterior chains of muscles leads to many of the physical pains experienced daily. By rebalancing these muscles, you can remedy many pains and discomforts. Teaching your body to naturally support itself at the deepest level is going to be far more effective than strapping on an external back brace, which over time can lead to even weaker musculature.
http://fitness.mercola.com/sites/fitness/archive/2013/08/16/back-pain-overtreatment.aspx  Catch the rest of the story at Mercola.com at the above link.

Our Notes:

What we have often recommended for many people with back pain isn't really covered here.  We have suggested swimming.  Most of those who followed the idea reported tremendous improvements in their back pain issues to the pain completely disappearing for good after weeks of daily swimming.  Not everyone will have these same results but it's a low cost way to relieve pain and if it does work for you, all the better.

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Wedding March For A Bullet - Diablo Swing Orchestra, Free MP3




Diablo Swing Orchestra from their album the Butchers Ballroom comes this song, Wedding March For A Bullet.  Heavy metal, gothic tones and dark music in the European fashion.  The type of sounds that are so richly ingrained into European metal.  Classical music undertones with operetta voice overs.  The band is from Stockholm Sweden.  The album is excellent.  Great news, if you like the music, the download is free.  Enjoy.



English: Diablo Swing Orchestra playing at Glo...
English: Diablo Swing Orchestra playing at Global East Rock Festival 2010 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
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Botanical Tea Rose - Art of The Day


Art of the day, Botanical Tea Rose.
Please help yourself to a copy of this piece.
Just right click and save as, pick where you want to house the file.


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Amherst Pudding - Recipe of the day


Three-fourths of a cupful of butter, three-fourths of a pint of sugar, four eggs, five table-spoonfuls of strained apple, the grated rind and the juice of a lemon, and nutmeg and rose-water, if you like. Bake half an hour, in a moderate oven, in a shallow pudding dish that has been lined with a rich pasts, rolled very thin. Let it become partially cooled before serving.

Make something extraordinary.
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Governor McDonnell Announces Sales of Virginia Wine Reach New All-Time High

No support of Virginia wine?
No support of Virginia wine? (Photo credit: cizauskas)
~ Continued Growth Push Sales Across the Half-Million Case Benchmark~
As Administration Puts Focus on International Marketing Efforts, Export Sales Increase By More Than 74%
***Sales Up More Than 23% Since FY10***

MACHIPONGO – During a visit to the Eastern Shore’s Chatham Vineyards on his “This Commonwealth of Opportunity” tour, Governor Bob McDonnell today announced that sales of Virginia wine reached another all-time high in Fiscal Year 2013, increasing by more than 5 percent from FY2012.  Virginia wineries sold over 511,000 cases of wine in FY13 versus almost 485,000, the previous record high, in FY12 according to newly available sales figures compiled by the Virginia Department of Alcohol Beverage Control (ABC) and the Virginia Wine Marketing Office.  Since FY2010, when almost 415,000 cases were sold, sales of Virginia wines have increased by more than 23 percent.

            Speaking about the new sales record while at Chatham Vineyards, Governor McDonnell said, “At the beginning of my administration, I pledged to work with the Virginia wine industry to make the Commonwealth the East Coast capital for wine and wine tourism.  Today’s announcement is further proof that we’re well on our way to reaching that goal.  Sales have reached a new record high and tourism to our wineries continues to grow.  With the outstanding product being produced by our grape growers and wine makers, it’s no surprise that more and more people are buying Virginia wines and experiencing our wineries and vineyards.  I’m pleased our administration’s focus on promoting Virginia wines and wine tourism both here and abroad is helping the Commonwealth's wine industry to grow and expand.  From serving only Virginia wines at the Executive Mansion to marketing them during all domestic and international trade missions, we have taken every step possible to help create new sales and generate more jobs and economic opportunities all across the Commonwealth.”

            In-state sales of Virginia wine increased by almost 3 percent from FY12 to FY13, while wine sales through Virginia wineries increased by approximately 6 percent during the same period, indicating increased interest in visiting Virginia wineries.  Wine sales to distributors outside of Virginia increased by more than 60 percent from FY12 to FY13.  Today, Virginia wines are being sold in numerous states including Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, New York, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Florida, and Washington, D.C., one of the Virginia Wine Marketing Office's top strategic growth regions.  In addition, Virginia wineries sold more wine out of state, directly or through a wholesale distributor, and internationally during the most recent fiscal year. Specifically, these sales increased by 69 percent from FY12 to FY13.

            Specific to exports, international sales of Virginia wines grew by more than 74 percent, increasing from just over 3,300 cases in FY12 to more than 5,800 in FY13.  A significant portion of the international sales were driven by new sales to China, an area where the McDonnell administration has focused its global marketing and export growth strategic plans. The first commercial sales of Virginia wines to mainland China were completed in FY12 and new export agreements have been reached since then, including several facilitated during Governor McDonnell’s trade missions to China in 2011 and 2013.  Sales of Virginia wines to Great Britain and London, the world's largest wine import market, continued to grow during the last fiscal year as well.  The McDonnell administration and the Virginia Wine Marketing Office have focused heavily on marketing to this region as well.

            “The continued impressive sales growth of Virginia wine starts with our growers and wine makers, who are creating wines that more and more people want to enjoy," said Virginia Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry Todd Haymore. "From Wine Enthusiast naming Virginia a top ten global wine destination last year to the recent multi-page features in the New York Times and Decanter, the Virginia wine industry also is garnering more well-deserved attention in the global marketplace. The Governor, First Lady, and I have been proud to partner with the industry, as well as our colleagues at the Virginia Wine Marketing Office, the Virginia Tourism Corporation, Virginia Economic Development Partnership and the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, to promote our outstanding wines around the country and world over the last three years.  This strategic focus has led to new sales and opportunities for our wineries, and we expect that we’ll see continued growth in the years to come.”

            According to figures from ABC, total sales of Virginia wine amounted to more than $1.7 million in wine liter tax collections during the fiscal year ending June 30, 2013. The Virginia wine liter tax is applied at a rate of $3.60 per case of wine.  This is the second fiscal year that the Virginia Wine Marketing Office is capturing Virginia wine sales outside of the Commonwealth that are not captured in ABC figures.

            Domestic and international promotion of the Virginia wine industry is one of Governor McDonnell's top economic development and jobs creation initiatives. Since 2010, the McDonnell administration worked with the General Assembly to establish a reimbursable tax credit program for the establishment or expansion of vineyards and wineries and to almost triple the amount of funds placed in the Virginia Wine Promotion Fund for research, education, and marketing programs. Governor McDonnell also promotes the sale of Virginia wines in Virginia, around the country, and during multiple trade and marketing missions to Europe, Canada, Israel, India, and Asia.  The Governor also launched the first ever Virginia Wine Summit in October 2012 where world famous wine connoisseur Steven Spurrier served as the keynote speaker.  In addition, First Lady Maureen McDonnell makes the promotion of Virginia wines and winery tourism a component of the First Lady's Initiative Team Effort (FLITE).  This focus on Virginia wine was furthered in late June when the Governor and First Lady unveiled the historic bicentennial-themed blended red wine, ‘1813.’

            Virginia currently ranks fifth in the number of wineries in the nation with more than 230. Virginia is also tied with Texas as the nation's fifth largest wine grape producing states. According to a 2012 economic impact study, the Virginia wine industry employs more than 4,700 individuals and contributes almost $750 million to the Virginia economy on an annual basis. In addition, more than 1.6 million tourists, a record high, visited Virginia wineries in 2011.
For more information about the Virginia wine industry, please visit the Virginia Wine Marketing Office's website athttp://www.virginiawine.org/  or call 804-344-8200.
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Pocahontas - Super History



We are starting off the story of Pocahontas with the above video from Nova.  It explores in more detail the real story behind the legend.  We also have 2 e-books that are new editions in our collection of digital publishing.  One is more along the lines of a childrens story and the other covers more detail and geared more towards adults.  It's an overall well rounded view of the Princess.



To read this in an easier manner, please click on the icon at the bottom right hand side of the container to open the document to full screen view.  You are free to download a free copy from our SlideShare site by signing into SlideShare with your Facebook account or LinkedIn account or by signing up for a free account.



You can also pick up a free copy of this e-book as well.  We had another video scheduled to go along with all of these books, however, the video was taken down off of YouTube for copyright violations.  Animated Classic Hero's has an interesting albeit historically questionable version of Pocahontas we were going to show.  The owners of those videos had YouTube pull down all copies of their videos due to said copyright violations.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animated_Hero_Classics  Here is more information on the video we are not able to show.  We guess money is more important than education?  DVD sales must come first.  We saw the film, it isn't worth buying anyway.


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Gloucester, VA Board of Supervisors Guilty of Suppression?

Suppression:  It takes many forms and has many acts.  The reason for the question?  It was discussed in one of our own meetings why some county Board of Supervisor meetings have open discussion of topics allowing the public to speak on said topics and what has been observed is the time limitations that the Board of Supervisors put on people for how long each person has to speak.

Some topics have open discussion from the public for 5 minutes per person while others we have seen have 10 minutes of time allocated to the public.  The questions we started to ask is what gives the Board of Supervisors the power to make and or change these times for public speaking?  So far we have seen no law that supports time limitations for how long any member of the public is allowed to address any topic before the Board of Supervisors.  All we have been able to ascertain is that the time limitations are only requests made by the Board of Supervisors to give enough people the chance to speak and nothing more.

Stopwatches should never be used against the public as we have seen Louise Theberge use time and time again.  What we have been able to determine is that Louise uses the stop watch and request as though it is a mandated law and that she is the dictator in charge of suppression over anyone who would dare speak out against any plans that either she or anyone else on the board wishes to push through.  What Louise and other Board members seem to fail to remember is that the time limitations can only be requested of the public.  Neither the Federal nor the State government imposes these time limitations on anyone, why should anyone allow county officials to get away with this?  It's an act of suppression and a tool of tyrants violating the public trust.



Here is one Gloucester citizen that went to speak before the Board of Supervisors and had the same 5 minutes to speak as everyone else.  He was not even accorded 4 minutes before he was so rudely interrupted by Louise Theberge causing him to lose his concentration.  That was very clear suppression.  Louise  Theberge did this again in August to Theresa Altemus during the School Bond hearing.  We have the video posted at the bottom of this site and you can see where Theresa Altemus is cut off by Louise Theberge from continuing on with her arguments in opposition to the Board's plans to pass the new school bonds.  Theresa Altemus was once a member of the Board of Supervisors and privy to a lot of information that most others would be very pressed to get.  That meant that Theresa was a threat to the present Board of Supervisors and probably why she was suppressed in her arguments against the school bonds.

We are asking the Board of Supervisors and Twitching Ted, (I'm not an attorney) Wilmot, county attorney, to show where in Virginia Code they have a right to limit, hence, suppress the people from speaking for longer periods other than the county's request for self limitations in order to give others a chance to speak.

  In other words, we want to see these abuses stopped once and for all.  County government is not a dictatorship by the few for the few.  County government is granted by the governed and is for the governed and at the consent of the governed.  Would be dictators need not apply.
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Thursday, August 15, 2013

The Lucy Show, Lucy and Viv Learn Karate 1963



The Lucy Show, Lucy and Viv Learn Karate, 1963.  Classic TV here on GVLN.
While all the networks keep putting out more and more garbage, we are bringing back the good old fashioned entertainment.  Shows and movies that made sense and not filled with tons of propaganda messages.  Sure, propaganda has always been a part of Hollywood, but it's more prevalent today than it used to be.  

  The old stuff made more sense and was more geared towards the American way of life and not trying to destroy it.  Beside, looking at the fashions of the period and how life used to be is incredibly interesting.  No cell phones, no computers, no security cameras, not a lot of issues. 
Publicity photo of Lucille Ball and Clint Walk...
Publicity photo of Lucille Ball and Clint Walker from the television program The Lucy Show. The episode is "Lucy and the Sleeping Beauty". Walker takes Lucy to a skyscraper under construction and Lucy discovers she's afraid of heights while on the girder. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
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Governor Bob McDonnell Announces Contract for U.S. Route 460 Phase II Project in Buchanan County

English: The state seal of Virginia. Српски / ...
English: The state seal of Virginia. Српски / Srpski: Застава америчке савезне државе Вирџиније. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Design-build contract will use coal synergy to reduce project costs by 50%
BUCHANAN COUNTY— On-site of the U.S. Route 460 Connector Phase I construction project in Buchanan County, Governor Bob McDonnell announced today a contract has been signed to begin the second phase of U.S. Route 460 construction.

            The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT), in coordination with the Office of Transportation Public-Private Partnerships, recently signed a contract with Bizzack Construction, LLC, Lexington, Ky. to design and build the 6.2-mile section to rough grade.  Bizzack Construction, LLC, also serves as the design-build contractor for Phase I.

            “Creating new access through better transportation will fuel economic development and tourism opportunities never available with the current network of roads,” Governor Bob McDonnell said.  “The Route 460 Connector and the Coalfields Expressway are key connections that will open southwestern Virginia to more job and business opportunities.”

            Transportation Secretary Sean T. Connaughton added, “By executing a design-build contract, the Commonwealth is able to deliver this project at a much reduced cost.  This contract brings Virginia one step closer to creating an improved highway network and connectivity between Route 460 in Virginia and Kentucky, which are federally-designated as Corridor Q, and the Coalfields Expressway. ”

            Bizzack recently acquired Rapoca Energy, succeeding Rapoca Energy in the partnership with VDOT to build the Route 460 Connector Phase II to rough grade.  VDOT entered negotiations with Bizzack in 2012, and in June the Commonwealth Transportation Board authorized VDOT Commissioner Greg Whirley to award and execute a $108 million design-build contract to construct the road bed to rough grade. 

            U.S. Route 460 Connector Phase II will be a 6.2-mile limited access four-lane highway, connecting to Kentucky’s newly constructed Route 460.  The connector in Virginia is broken into two sections, the first already under construction at the Kentucky line near Breaks Interstate Park. 

            The west end of the U.S. Route 460 Connector in Virginia will connect to a proposed interchange for the Coalfields Expressway. 

            The design-build contract will use the coal synergy concept to provide a rough grade road bed at a reduction of over 50% in costs.

            The estimated cost of the design-build contract – taking into consideration the savings from coal synergy - is approximately $108 million.

            Coal synergy reduces road building costs substantially by using the coal companies’ larger-scale earth moving equipment and construction techniques common to the coal industry to prepare the road bed to rough grade, and allowing the companies to recover marketable coal reserves during the road bed preparation. 

            In August 2009, VDOT awarded the $113 million design-build contract for the construction of the .8-mile section of Phase I of the connector, which includes the construction of twin high-level bridges that will be the tallest in Virginia when completed. 

            The bridges will be over 250-feet-high and 1,700 linear feet in length.  They will span Route 610 (Conaway Road) and Grassy Creek.  The .8-mile Phase I project begins at the Kentucky state line, meeting up with the improvements Kentucky is making to Route 460. 

            An access ramp to Route 80, improving access to Breaks Interstate Park, is part of the U.S. Route 460 Connector Phase I.  Secondary connections to Routes 609 and 693 from Route 80 are also being constructed. 
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