Virginia Coalfield Economic Development Authority.

Although most within VCEDA will admit they have problems within VCEDA, which even those in the Tobacco part will not admit.
There is still many issues.
Almost 15 million dollars hang in the balance, of what will VCEDA do.
Will they open up their private executive board to county board members of those who pay most of their bills, mainly Wise, Dickenson and Buchanan counties.
With VCEDA admitting they have quite a few problems, and some current staff will be replaced, the idea is to let money follow the project.
What ever happened to the project following the money?
With all that money sitting in the balance, someone has to ask one question.
How do certain members say if you push us, we will ask this to go regional? In the VA. General Assembly?
Is that not a threat? And politics at it's best.
And then again some say, why do we need to push you to spend money from a location you are getting it from.
No one is against the coal companies, as they pay the bills and tax money that generates this money.
The question is.
How many in the Central VA or even SWVA area have had their house shaken from blasting, or had to deal with the dust, of coal trucks, to the damage of local roads.
No one locally sees coal as a bad thing.
The idea is we pay in more, than one way, yet we get nothing back in any way.
Recently it was told, one person running for Governor said they would Veto, any plan for this money to leave the coalfieds, while another person said regionalization, is the concept.
Well it may be.
But when it's your house being shaken by blasting, or your home or town covered with dust, when does regionalization take place.
I dont' think everyone feels the blasting or gets the dust, well other than those who well, have the coal and should get their fair share.
But basically aren't even considered.
Time a few ask a few questions and ask, why is our money going out of the coalfield areas. Call and ask a few. VCEDA director Yates and other in VCEDA , Flanary and your local board of supervisors.
It's time we here quit getting used and abused.
And VCEDA is all about politics and playing up to those who they can get votes from.
For once it's time to not only clear the air.
But ask where is the money going and why. And well why not local?
The biggest question of all.
How many more has to lose fathers, husband, sons or brothers underground or have their house shaken off it's foundation or their town covered with dust, to begin to ask a few questions or question why we don't get our share.
Seems we have a big question here but not a lot of interest. Is it no one understand this money is for our area.
Or no one cares to take no interest in going after it. Or questioning why it goes out of this area. Yet we have no vote on the executive board of how this money is used.
As the Tobacco board is a total mess. This one that can be well, in some ways revamped. The Tobacco commission will take a commitment by many to fix. As no one who even works there has a clue.
But VCEDA knows it has major problems, however, politics still rears it's head and says, force our hand we will let the General Assembly decide to which we hope is regional, yet three counties say we pay the price in workers and our towns and people, make it polticial and we will let the General Assembly know their wrong.
Time to take back what this was set up for folks, the developlment of the 3 area coalfield areas and counties.
Some need to look at this and more than you think.
Where is all those screaming about schools and economic development a few months ago? Forget to show up now or not a big enough topic at 15 million dollars?

Folks i know we all need help and money. But these three counties are trying desperately to just survive. Wise Co. isn't as in as bad shape as the other two.
And believe me that is not because we couldn't be. We have just raised things to bring in extra money.
But we do need to see that we get our fair share of this money.
We need it for a lot of issues. Helping our communities to, to helping our schools.
Im sure if Dickenson had just part of this money it would help them on pursuing their consolidation of schools or acquiring new jobs.
Just call your local board of supervisors and tell them, your in support of them doing whatever it takes to get our fair share from VCEDA.
These men are trying hard. But politics is killing them. Let them know you back them. Because they have some hard decisions to make in the near future.

I'd as soon burn this to the ground as to let the threat to remove the cash from the coal severance counties take the cash. They don't eat the dust and dodge the trucks, the people around here (west of I-81, I-77) NEVER get their fair share of anything.

I don't know how I feel about the whole situation I think that VCEDA COULD be a good thing but the way it is put together right now there is no way in hell it is putting DC in the best light. I can't say to much about the whole thing but I do know for a fact that a Company did inquire about the top floor of the Travelocity/SI building in Clintwood and was told by a VCEDA offical that they did not want to move into that building and directed them toward the building in Bucanon Co.

By the same tokan I am not sure I trust our BOS with the coal money (they may do a great job with it for all I know but the black hole that DCWIN has become makes me dought it)

I am preatty much just bitching and complaining at this point becouse while I do not think we are going in the right direction with some of this stuff I am unsure what the solution is [img]/LDPforum/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img]

Bingo! Time for some kind of change, any change.