Harrisonburg Redevelopment and Housing Authority signs 34 kW solar agreement with Secure Futures
Secure Futures, LLC, a developer of solar energy for non-profit institutions in education and other fields, announced today that it has signed a 20 year solar services agreement with the Harrisonburg Redevelopment and Housing Authority (the “Authority”) to install, own and operate a solar photovoltaic project on the roof of a 60-unit low-income housing apartment building in Harrisonburg. When it becomes fully operational by September, 2013, the 34 kilowatt solar photovoltaic array will generate just over 45,000 kilowatt-hours per year and will offset the apartment building’s electric usage by nearly 6% annually.
Michael Wong, Executive Director of the Authority, stated that “This project exemplifies our mission to create more affordable housing for our residents. This is the right thing to do, both economically and environmentally.”
Under the solar services agreement, the Authority will prepay 85% of the solar services for $78,000 and self-generate electricity from the panels for a projected $135,000 in avoided electricity costs over the 35-year service life of the solar panels. If the Authority elects to purchase the system after five years, it could achieve even more substantial avoided costs. The panels will also generate renewable energy credits that the Authority could use in the future to achieve additional savings.
Secure Futures will install the solar array on the roof of the Polly Lineweaver apartment building located at 265 N Main St, Harrisonburg, Virginia, a low-income housing property owned and managed by the Authority. Mid-Valley Electric, a Harrisonburg- based contractor, will perform the electrical work.
Dr. Tony Smith, CEO of Secure Futures, commented “It’s been a great pleasure working with Michael Wong and his board to develop this project in support of their vision and mission to blend affordable housing and sustainability. The Authority made a very smart move in making this commitment before solar panel prices increased, as we’ve seen solar panel prices jump up across the board by nearly 10% just since March of this year, reversing a five year downward trend. One of our key suppliers has seen sales increase 50% last year, and 100% this year. Global demand for solar is skyrocketing, more than 120% this year in Japan, and similarly in India and China, and that’s contributing to the increase in solar panel prices we’re seeing for the American made high quality solar panels we like to use for our projects.”
Ken Jurman, Renewable Energy Program Manager for the Virginia Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy observed that “Secure Futures has been a successful developer with other solar projects, notably at Eastern Mennonite University and at Washington and Lee University, among the two largest solar installations in the state. Not only will this project help reduce the energy expenses of low income citizens, but will, to the best of our knowledge, be the first solar photovoltaic system installed on a public housing facility in Virginia. A project of this nature very much supports the Commonwealth’s energy and environmental sustainability goals and furthers our efforts to promote innovation and rural economic development in Virginia.”
Secure Futures has played a lead role with policy development in Virginia in support of state energy policies, such as the recently enacted legislation for Power Purchase Agreements as a pilot program in Dominion territory.
About Secure Futures
Secure Futures, LLC designs, develops and finances distributed solar solutions with and for tax-exempt entities to reduce their electricity costs and to protect against future grid price increases through Solar Services Agreements. Secure Futures is based in Staunton, VA, and may be found on-line at http://www.securefutures.us
About Harrisonburg Redevelopment and Housing Authority
The Harrisonburg Redevelopment and Housing Authority (“the Authority”) is a political subdivision of the Commonwealth of Virginia created pursuant to Title 36 of the Code of Virginia. The Authority works to promote adequate and affordable housing economic opportunity and a suitable living environment free from discrimination; and to foster redevelopment of blighted areas to ensure the economic, social and housing vitality of our community. See website at http://www.harrisonburgrha.com
Richmond Flying Squirrels drop series opener to Trenton
The Richmond Flying Squirrels (21-21) walked 10 men in falling to the Trenton Thunder (23-21), 7-3, in the opener of a four-game series on Monday night at The Diamond. With the win, the Thunder improved to 6-2 on the year against the Squirrels.
The Squirrels tallied three runs against Thunder right-hander Mikey O’Brien in the top of the first inning. Jarrett Parker tapped a ball softly to the third-base side of the mound that O’Brien couldn’t play cleanly. Following the infield-single, O’Brien walked Joe Panik to put two aboard. Javier Herrera then blooped a soft-single into right field to load the bases. Mark Minicozzi then chopped a ball to the shortstop Ali Castillo that appeared to be a tailor-made double-play ball. However, it took a wicked hop over Castillo’s shoulder, and the bad-hop base hit produced two runs. Ryan Lollis then sent a ground ball to second base. The Thunder unsuccessfully attempted to turn two, and a third run scored to make it 3-0 Richmond. All the runs were earned against O’Brien.
Richmond starter Omar Javier retired the side in order on seven pitches in the first inning. The second inning went the completely opposite direction. Javier threw 36 pitches, walked three and allowed two runs on two hits in the frame. He was lifted after allowing an RBI single to Castillo and walking Ramon Flores to force in a run. Righty Jose Valdez came on to fly out Jose Pirela to strand the bases loaded and keep the Squirrels in the lead, 3-2.
Javier didn’t factor in the decision, lasting just 1 2/3 innings in his second start of the year. He was charged with two runs on two hits, walked three and struck out one.
The Thunder tied the ballgame with an additional run in the third inning against Valdez. With one out, J.R. Murphy singled into center field. Valdez then walked Kyle Roller and Slade Heathcott poked a single into right field to plate Murphy and knot the game, 3-3.
Trenton seized the lead for the first time with a second run off Valdez in the top of the fourth inning. Kevin Mahoney sparked the inning with a single and promptly stole second base. Valdez recovered to record the first two outs of the inning, but walked Tyler Austin with two outs. Murphy then cracked his second single of the night to plate Mahoney and push the Thunder in front, 4-3.
Valdez (1-2) surrendered two runs on four hits and a pair of walks. He took the loss in his second-longest outing of the season, his second setback of the year.
Left-hander Tom Vessella entered in the sixth inning for the Squirrels and also found immediate trouble. Flores greeted him with a single, and an out later, Austin singled. Another out later, Vessella walked Roller to load the bases with two outs. Heathcott then notched his third hit of the night – a single back through the middle. It brought in two runs to extend the Thunder lead to 6-3.
Trenton capped the scoring with an unearned run in the top of the seventh inning off of righty Scott Shuman. Shuman issued three walks in the inning, running the Squirrels total for the night to 10.
O’Brien (3-0) bounced back nicely from his first-inning troubles, allowing Richmond just one additional hit through the seventh inning. He earned the win after allowing three runs on four total hits. He walked two and struck out three. Lefty Aaron Dott and righty Danny Burawa took it the rest of the way without incident.
Game two of the four-game series is scheduled for 6:35 p.m. at The Diamond on Tuesday night. Richmond LHP Carlos Teller (0-0, 0.00) will make the start against Trenton LHP Matt Tracy (4-3, 7.50). Pregame coverage begins on Sports Radio 910, SportsRadio910.com and IHeart Radio at 6:05 p.m.
Stamp Out Hunger food drive brings in more than 192,000 pounds of food
The Blue Ridge Area Food Bank received more than 192,000 pounds of food during Stamp Out Hunger on May 11. That will provide more than 160,000 meals to families in the Blue Ridge region during the first few weeks of summer.
Now in its 21st year, Stamp Out Hunger is one of the Food Bank’s most important food drives of the year, as it helps stock the shelves before the summer slump. While hunger doesn’t take a summer vacation, food and financial donations plummet dramatically between June and September. Stamp Out Hunger provides a much-needed boost.
“We’re grateful to have this generous outpouring of support heading into our most difficult time of year,” said Michael McKee, CEO of the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank. “We’re also most thankful to the National Association of Letter Carriers, local organizers and every mail carrier who participated in this effort. We know that this food drive prolonged their workday and added to an already heavy workload. Stamp Out Hunger wouldn’t be successful without them and we truly appreciate their service.”
On average, 115,000 people are receiving emergency food assistance each month through the Food Bank and its network of 250 community partners. While the donations from Stamp Out Hunger provide a tremendous lift, it won’t last long. Most of the donations will be distributed by mid-June, well before the end of summer.
Results by Region
Shenandoah Valley: 46,700+ pounds
(Harrisonburg, Staunton and Waynesboro)
Winchester: 41,800+ pounds
Charlottesville: 71,100+ pounds
Lynchburg: 32,400+ pounds
About the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank
Founded in 1981, the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank is the largest organization alleviating hunger in western and central Virginia. Headquartered in Verona, VA, the Food Bank serves 25 counties and nine cities through distribution centers in Charlottesville, Lynchburg, Winchester and Verona. The Blue Ridge Area Food Bank distributes more than 20 million pounds of food annually to an average of 115,000 people each month through a network of 250 community partners – food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters, schools, churches and other non-profit groups. The Food Bank is a member of Feeding America, a national food bank association that supports 202 food banks across the United States. For more information, visit www.brafb.org.
Waynesboro fares well in Best of Virginia voting
The “Best of Virginia 2013” issue of Virginia Living has hit stands, and several Waynesboro businesses have walked away with titles for the Shenandoah Valley region again this year. More than 25,000 readers participated in the 2013 survey.
First place winners include: the Virginia Fall Foliage Festival Art Show for best art event; Virginia Chili, Blues n’ Brews Festival for best food festival; Zeus Digital Theater for best movie theater; Iris Inn for most welcoming bed & breakfast; and Fishburne Military School won best independent school.
Second place winners include: WTA’s Gateway for best music venue; Rockfish Gap Outfitters for best sporting goods store; and Cynthia H. Dent, M.D. for best dermatologist.
Third place winners include: The Green Leaf Grill for best seafood restaurant; Woodworth Animal Hospital for best pet boarding; Jane M. Lynch, M.D. for best dermatologist and Rockfish Gap Outfitters took another title for best outdoor outfitter.
The Waynesboro Office of Tourism would like to congratulate all the winners. With our unique attractions and amenities and central location, Waynesboro proves to be a great place to live, work and visit!
Planned Parenthood gives Ralph Northam 100 percent rating
Planned Parenthood Advocates of Virginia gave State Sen. Ralph Northam a 100 percent rating today.
“As a physician, Ralph Northam brings a unique perspective to the State Senate and will do the same as lieutenant governor. He has always been a vocal advocate for issues which effect women’s reproductive health, and he isn’t afraid to stand up for what he believes. As lieutenant governor, the women of Virginia can rest assured that Ralph will continue to advocate for expanded access to quality care and stand with us on the critical issues facing our state including education, voting access and public safety,” Planned Parenthood said in a statement.
Dr. Northam worked with Planned Parenthood to defeat the transvaginal ultrasound bill. Northam has now earned a 100% rating from Planned Parenthood and the endorsements of the Virginia Education Association and the Washington Post.
“I am honored to have received a perfect ranking from Planned Parenthood,” said Northam. “As a doctor, I understand the importance of protecting women’s health care rights from the radical Republican agenda. I worked with Planned Parenthood to defeat the transvaginal ultrasound bill and look forward to working with them as Lieutenant Governor.”
Benjamin Reynolds wins Walmart Bass Fishing League event at Smith Mountain Lake
Benjamin Reynolds, Callands, Va., weighed a five-bass limit totaling 17 pounds, 1 ounce Saturday to win the Walmart Bass Fishing League Shenandoah Division event on Smith Mountain Lake. For his victory, Reynolds earned $4,315 plus $2,000 Ranger Cup bonus.
“It’s pretty special,” said Reynolds about his second BFL victory. “I had a pretty good practice on Friday and felt like I had found some fish that could win the tournament for me. I was feeling pretty good.
“Then Saturday came, I went to my first bed fish and I couldn’t get her to bite. I fooled with her for about an hour and finally decided to move to my next bed and the fish on that bed was gone. I then decided that it was time to chalk my game plan from Friday and try something different.”
Reynolds attributed part of his success to his knowledge of the lake. After working a couple of beds without reward and pulling up on a couple of beds that were empty he decided to fish areas where he knew good fish lived and that he had success on in the past.
“Three of my fish came on crankbaits and drop-shotting around shallow boat docks,” Reynolds continued. “I was able to get two off their beds, a 3- and 7-pounder using shaky head worms on a spinning rod. I just let the fish tell me what I needed to do.”
Rounding out the top 10 pros were:
2nd: Bobby Rakes, Max Meadows, Va., five bass, 16-0, $2,157
3rd: John Hutchins, Warrenton, Va., five bass, 15-3, $1,439
4th: Gregg Basham, Salem, Va., five bass, 14-5, $1,007
5th: Tommy Little, Chester, Va., five bass, 14-2, $863
6th: Rick McFaul, Phoenix, Md., five bass, 14-1, $791
7th: Mike Altizer, Vinton, Va., five bass, 13-15, $719
8th: Moe Bae, West Friendship, Md., five bass, 13-13, $647
9th: James Cassaday, Wirtz, Va., five bass, 13-11, $575
10th: Thomas Wooten, Huddleston, Va., five bass, 13-3, $503
Complete results can be found at FLWOutdoors.com.
Mark Garraway of Fredericksburg, Va., weighed four bass totaling 12 pounds, 15 ounces Saturday to win the co-angler division. Garraway earned $2,157 for his victory.
Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers were:
2nd: Larry McCausland, Mount Airy, N.C., five bass, 12-13, $1,079
3rd: Dennis Burdette, Lindside, W. Va., five bass, 11-5, $717
4th: Chris Cundiff, Wirtz, Va., five bass, 11-4, $503
5th: Junior Roberts, Ringgold, Va., four bass, 9-13, $431
6th: Mike Morris, Dover, Del., five bass, 9-8, $396
7th: Edward Louthen, Princeton, W. Va., five bass, 9-4, $360
8th: Robert Coyner, Stuarts Draft, Va., four bass, 8-15, $324
9th: Keith Goldberg, Eagle Rock, Va., five bass, 8-12, $288
10th: Tim Goff, Forest, Va., five bass, 8-3, $239
10th: Bill Naron, Beaverdam, Va., five bass, 8-3, $239
The next BFL Shenandoah Division tournament is scheduled for June 15 on the Potomac River in Marbury, Md. After the last divisional tournament is complete, the top 40 boaters and 40 co-anglers based on point standings will qualify for the Oct. 3-5 Regional Championship on Lake Guntersville in Guntersville, Ala. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518 with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard and a Chevy Silverado, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518 with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard.
The BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 120 tournaments throughout the season, five in each division. The top 40 boaters and co-anglers from each division qualify for a regional tournament and compete to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the Walmart BFL All-American presented by Chevy. The 2013 BFL All-American is being held June 27–29 on the Nickajack Lake in Chattanooga, Tenn. Top winners in the BFL can move up to the EverStart Series or even the Walmart FLW Tour.
WVPT to premiere American Shakespeare Center documentary May 23
Earlier this year, WVPT Public Television and the American Shakespeare Center announced a wide-ranging partnership celebrating 25 years of Shakespeare in Staunton. A product of this partnership, Shakespeare’s American Home—a 30-minute documentary about ASC—will air Thursday, May 23 on WVPT.
Through the documentary, WVPT offers a look into the Blackfriars Playhouse—a re-creation of the first indoor theatre in the English-speaking world. William Shakespeare and his colleagues built the original theatre inside London’s Blackfriars Monastery. Featuring clips from a rehearsal of Romeo and Juliet and a performance of Love’s Labour’s Lost, the documentary shares the experiences of not just the theatre’s audience, but also the actors who make each production possible and have come from far and wide to call Staunton their home.
People from all over the world descend on Staunton to study Shakespeare,” says WVPT Creative Services Manager George Lilly, who shot and produced the film. “That’s pretty special.”
Celebrating ASC’s 25th anniversary, the documentary features interviews with ASC Director of Mission Ralph Cohen and ASC Artistic Director Jim Warren, as well as other staff and multiple actors from ASC’s 2013 Actors’ Renaissance Season Troupe.
“It’s been an extraordinary project to work on,” says Lilly. “Every part of ASC and the Blackfriars Playhouse is so interesting and creatively inspiring. They try to demystify ‘Shakesfear’ by making their performances something everyone can enjoy. Shakespeare wrote about common human emotions and themes that have been copied over and over again through the years—we can all relate to his work.”
In 2011, BBC filmmakers visited the Blackfriars Playhouse to film portions of the ASC’s production of The Tempestfor the series Shakespeare Uncovered, which aired nationwide in January. The entire series featured acclaimed actors and directors, including Ethan Hawke, Jeremy Irons, Derek Jacobi, Trevor Nunn, Joely Richardson, David Tennant, Patrick Stewart, Ben Wishaw, Jude Law and Helen Mirren. ASC was the only American theatre company featured throughout the entire six-part series.
Through a grant made possible by THIRTEEN—the flagship public television station of the New York City tri-state area and the most-watched public television channel in the nation—WVPT and ASC partnered to createShakespeare’s American Home, a broadcast companion to the Shakespeare Uncovered episode on The Tempest. WVPT was one of 10 public television stations across the country to receive the grant, valued at $15,750.
The documentary will be distributed for national broadcast later this year, sharing with America what Andrew Gurr, former director of research at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre in London, calls “one of the most historically important theatres in the world.”
Viewers can watch the documentary on May 23 at 8 p.m. on the following channels:
About WVPT Public TelevisionSince 1968, WVPT has been the Shenandoah Valley and Central Virginia’s public television station. But that’s just scratching the surface. WVPT is also a classroom, a concert hall, a conference center, a college and a library of the airwaves. WVPT is one of the most accessible educational institutions in the region, utilizing the power of broadcasting to help carry out its mission of education, culture and citizenship for everyone within its reach. WVPT’s over-the-air broadcast coverage area consists of 40 counties; the signal is also carried on numerous cable channels, including Staunton, Harrisonburg, Charlottesville, Lexington, Lynchburg and Winchester. WVPT’s sister station WVPY is carried on both Dish Network and DirecTV in the Hagerstown/Washington, D.C. market. For more information, visit www.wvpt.net.
About the American Shakespeare Center
The American Shakespeare Center, located in Staunton, Va., recovers the joys and accessibility of Shakespeare’s theatre, language and humanity by exploring the English Renaissance stage and its practices through performance and education. The ASC’s Blackfriars Playhouse, the world’s only re-creation of Shakespeare’s indoor theatre, is open year-round for productions of classic plays, which have been hailed by the Washington Post as “shamelessly entertaining” and by the Boston Globe as “phenomenal…bursting with energy.” Founded in 1988 as Shenandoah Shakespeare Express, the organization became the American Shakespeare Center in 2005. For more information, visit www.americanshakespearecenter.
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