In a year that saw a Morgantown City Council election and federal approval of the city’s long-desired runway extension project, it was the unveiling of an annexation plan and the placement of a water line that generated the most conversation.
Boundaries
In January, the city received an annexation report from contracted consulting firm Grossman, Yanak & Ford that explored the financial impact of dramatically expanding the city’s territory.
In early April, the report went public, and the backlash was swift and sizable.
The plan as presented would grow the city’s footprint by about a third, adding 3.8 square miles, 12,380 new residents, 367 businesses and 43 miles of roads.
While the city admitted the scope of the plan was ambitious, it was the method — minor boundary adjustment — that ultimately galvanized a resistance to “forced annexation.”
Minor boundary adjustment is one of three methods allowed under state code for municipal expansion. The other two require either a petition of those to be annexed or a city-wide petition and ballot. Minor boundary adjustment requires two votes — one by city council and one by the county commission.
While the city held a series of public input sessions, a group opposing the plan — F.A.I.R. or Forced Annexation Isn’t Right — organized and covered many of the areas targeted for annexation, like the Mileground and Suncrest Towne Centre, with anti-annexation billboards and yard signs.
The city has since put annexation on pause and doesn’t have a timeline for when it intends to bring it back.
It appears as if the next annexation fight could come in Charleston, as F.A.I.R. has said it intends to present legislation eliminating “forced annexation” through minor boundary adjustment, noting West Virginia is one of only a handful of states that still allow it.
City leadership cautioned state lawmakers that passage of such a law would dramatically hamper the ability of cities to grow and generate revenue.
Rerouted
Shortly after the annexation furor began slowing down, markings appeared on hundreds of trees in White Park.
The trees had been tagged for removal in order to make room for a water line between MUB’s new Flegal Reservoir, under construction along Cobun Creek, and its treatment facility off Don Knotts Boulevard.
Due to the topography of the area, the pipe needed to run through a fairly narrow swath of land in order to use gravity, and not an expensive pumping station, to move the water. That swath runs through White Park.
MUB planned to run the line beneath the existing trail through the park, which drew immediate public blowback due to the number of mature trees that would be impacted.
The utility halted work and the search for a new route began.
After months of discourse that included numerous public meetings, MUB, Morgantown City Council and BOPARC all voted to approve an alternate route through the park and laid out a number of agreed upon concessions that MUB would need to make to be granted access.
In early September, the parties began putting those concessions in writing in the form of a licensing agreement.
But negotiations quickly stalled.
Frustrated over a lack of progress and what it viewed as unreasonable demands, MUB went public on Oct. 14, stating it would instead focus on a longer, more expensive route around the park.
A short time later the utility said it planned to cut off negotiations Nov. 1 — the date the parties would ultimately come to an agreement.
Work on the pipeline is expected to continue in mid-January. As part of the work, MUB will construct a new trail, including two water crossings, and put up $3,000 annually per trail mile for maintenance. Additional, the utility will plant two trees — in the park and elsewhere across the city — for every one it removes.
Ready for takeoff
During a Nov. 7 announcement at the Morgantown Municipal Airport, City Manager Paul Brake said the city had the final FAA approvals in hand to begin a runway extension project that’s been on the city’s radar for more than a decade.
Work on the $50 million project to add 1,001 feet to the existing 5,199-foot runway is expected to begin next fall and take at least five years to complete.
The focus now turns to ensuring the project gets the backing of elected officials in Charleston and Washington by way of funding appropriations.
The majority of the project’s funding will be federal appropriations. Best-case scenario is 90% federal funding and the state picking up some or all of the local portion.
But until that federal number is worked out, “You can’t really begin to speculate,” Brake said.
Brad Homan, project engineer from Michael Baker International, explained that some 4.4 million cubic yards of earth will be moved to the north end of the runway, essentially building up 20 stories of foundation for the extension.
The dirt will be pulled from the future site of a 100-acre I-68 Commerce Park.
The votes are in
The April 30 municipal election made a bit of history as a write-in candidate was voted onto city council for the first time.
In the 3rd Ward race, Zack Cruze received 740 votes, besting two other write-in candidates and the incumbent — who asked voters not to vote for him.
The first-of-its-kind vote was set up by a unique situation in which incumbent Ryan Wallace decided he was moving and could not serve a second term, but only after it was too late to have his name removed from the ballot.
In the 6th Ward, Dave Harshbarger won the seat left open by Mark Brazaitis’ decision to not seek reelection. He beat former councilor Jay Redmond, who did not campaign, 1,039 to 543.
Ron Dulaney received the top vote total, getting 1,280 votes in an uncontested race for his 5th Ward seat.
The closest race was in the 2nd Ward, where Mayor Bill Kawecki beat out Barbara Parsons, 884 votes to 708.
The election once again saw low voter participation as 1,642 of 18,642 registered voters (8.8%) went to the polls.
Rachel Fetty defeated Ron Bane in the 1st Ward and Jenny Selin was unopposed in the 4th Ward.
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