BLUEFIELD, Va. — A delegation from Tazewell County completed its two-day legislative visit to the General Assembly in Richmond, Va., and emerged from a breakfast meeting on Friday filled with energy and excitement.

“We had a great event!” State Senator Phillip P. Puckett, D-Russell said in a telephone interview. “It is always good to have folks from back home here with us. We had a great series of meetings on Thursday that included discussions about opening the Spearhead Trail in Pocahontas. I told them (Thursday) afternoon that we’ve seen what a trail system can do for economic development in West Virginia. If West Virginia can do it, we can do it too.”

Puckett said that Delegate Clarence E. “Bud” Phillips, D-Wise, is carrying legislation concerning the trail in the House. “We met with people promoting the trail and some of the property owners — mostly coal companies — down in Norton, Va., and Bud’s carrying the legislation. He’s on the House Appropriations Committee. The rest of us are signed on as co-patrons.”

Tazewell County Administrator Jim Spencer said that the Tazewell group included 44 people. “Each year that we’re here, it seems like it gets better,” Spencer said. “We distributed the gifts to all of the legislators on Wednesday morning, and started having meetings with representatives of several state agencies. We show all of them a grade card to see how well we have done from year to year. It’s a good system to see if we’re making progress. The agency representatives seemed to be impressed.”

Spencer said that the group talked about the Spearhead Trail project in meetings with representatives of the Virginia Economic Development Partnership, the Virginia Chamber of Commerce Tourism Committee and with representatives of the Virginia Department of Transportation.

“Some people may think of it as a recreational project, but the Spearhead Trail is an economic development project,” Spencer said. “There are still some things we need to flesh out with the project. We need to get clearance from VDOT for a four-wheeler trail to cross the road and even rules where ATV riders can be on the roads a short distance.”

Spencer said that Lenowisco and Cumberland Plateau planning districts joined the Tazewell group in hosting a reception at the Omni. “The room there is about 100’X75’, and it was packed,” Spencer said. “It was a tremendous turn-out. Gov. Bob McDonnell came and spoke briefly. That was impressive. Several other movers and shakers in the state were there.”

Spencer said that Delegate Anne B. Crockett-Stark, R-Wythe and Delegate Will Morefield, R-Tazewell, visited with the group. “It went very well,” Spencer said.

— Contact Bill Archer at barcher@bdtonline.com