§29-28-8 Powers of authority.
§29-28-8. Powers of authority.
The authority, as a public corporation and governmental instrumentality exercising public powers of the state, may exercise all powers necessary or appropriate to carry out the purposes of this article, except the power of eminent domain. Powers of the authority include, but are not limited to, the power:
(1) To undertake promotion and advocacy of projects, programs or facilities related to the coal heritage highway and the purposes of this article and to make grants consistent with the purposes and goals of the board;
(2) To directly operate and manage historic, cultural, architectural and recreational activities and facilities consistent with the purposes of the authority and this article;
(3) To cooperate with the state of Virginia and appropriate state and local officials and community leaders in Virginia to enhance the effectiveness of trails or other authority projects or facilities which may be located on the border which may connect to similar projects across the state border;
(4) To sue and be sued, implead and be impleaded and complain and defend in any court;
(5) Unless otherwise prohibited by law, to contract for the provision of legal services by private counsel and, notwithstanding the provisions of article three, chapter five of this code, the counsel may, in addition to the provisions of other legal services, represent the authority in court, negotiate contracts and other agreements on behalf of the authority, render advice to the authority on any matter relating to the authority, prepare contracts and other agreements and provide other legal services requested by the authority;
(6) To adopt, use and alter at will a corporate seal;
(7) To make, amend, repeal and adopt bylaws for the management and regulation of its affairs;
(8) To appoint an executive director and other employees or agents and to contract for and engage the services of consultants;
(9) To execute contracts necessary or convenient for carrying on its business, including contracts with any other governmental agency of this state or of the federal government or with any person, individual, partnership or corporation to effect any or all of the purposes of this article;
(10) Without in any way limiting any other subdivision of this section, to accept grants and loans from and enter into contracts and other transactions with any federal agency;
(11) To maintain an office at such places within the state as it may designate;
(12) To accept gifts or grants of property, funds, money, materials, labor, supplies or services from the federal government or from any governmental unit or any person, firm or corporation;
(13) To propose rules for legislative approval in accordance with the provisions of article three, chapter twenty-nine-a of this code as necessary to implement and make effective the powers, duties and responsibilities invested in the authority by the provisions of this article and otherwise by law;
(14) To construct, reconstruct, improve, maintain, repair, operate and manage certain facilities on the coal heritage trail, as determined by the authority;
(15) To develop, maintain and operate or to contract for the development, maintenance and operation of projects appropriate to the authority;
(16) To enter into contract with landowners and other persons holding an interest in the land being used for its historic, cultural or tourist facilities and to hold those landowners and other persons harmless with respect to any claim in tort growing out of the use of the land for public tourism or growing out of the tourism activities operated or managed by the authority from any claim except a claim for damages proximately caused by the willful or malicious conduct of the landowner or other person or any of his or her agents or employees;
(17) To assess and collect a reasonable fee from those persons who use trails, parking facilities, visitor centers or other facilities operated by the authority and to retain and use that revenue for any purposes consistent with this article;
(18) To enter into contracts or other appropriate legal arrangements with landowners under which their land is made available for use consistent with the purposes of the authority and this article; and
(19) To make funds in excess of current needs available for investment in accordance with the provisions of article six, chapter twelve of this code.