1. Out of the amounts in this Item shall be available $50,000 the first year from the general fund to conduct a feasibility study regarding the establishment of a shipping point market for fruit growers in the Piedmont-Roanoke Region of the Commonwealth. The Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services shall contract with a private sector entity to perform the study.

2. The feasibility study will include, but not be limited to, a determination of the: (1) market need for such a facility; (2) amount of product produced in the region and required to make such a facility economically attractive; (3) appropriate facility size, equipment needs and location of the facility; (4) availability of the private facilities to meet the need, if any, for such a facility; (5) construction and operating cost estimates; (6) financial and competitive impact of the facility on privately-owned facilities in Virginia; (7) business and financial resources needed to operate and manage the facility; and (8) fiscal capability of potential users of the facility to finance specialized equipment.

3. The study shall be provided to the Governor, the Chairmen of the Appropriations and Agriculture Committees of the House of Delegates, and the Chairmen of the Finance and Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources Committees of the Senate.

4. If the Governor or his designee concludes that the market is economically feasible and addresses the issues enumerated above, then the remaining general fund amounts provided for in this Item shall be used to complete the necessary environmental assessments and architectural and engineering design of the facility. For such purpose the general funds provided in the second year may be transferred to the first to effect the purposes of this appropriation.