Dominion Post
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
    • Latest News
      • Business
      • Community
      • Cops and Courts
      • Education
      • Religion
      • WVU News
    • Government
      • West Virginia Legislature
      • Granville Council
      • Kingwood Council
      • Monongalia County
      • Morgantown Council
      • Preston County
      • Reedsville Coucil
      • Westover Council
    • General Election Results 2020
    • Entertainment
      • Life & Leisure
      • Marquee
    • Contributors
      • Aldona Bird
      • Becca Fint Clark
      • Dr. Michael Hogan
      • Dr. Trembush and Dr. Stout
      • H.R. Scott
      • Healthy Living
      • Irene Marinelli
      • Joe Smith
      • John Samsell
      • Justin Jackson
      • Keenan Cummings
      • Kerri Kosten
      • MaryWade Triplett
      • Sean Manning
      • Vaageesha Das
  • Sports
    • Local Sports
    • WVU Sports
    • Outdoors
  • Opinion
    • Editorials
    • Daily Columnists
      • Cal Thomas
      • Leonard Pitts Jr.
      • Froma Harrop
      • Salena Zito
      • Hoppy Kercheval
    • Letters to the Editor
      • Letters
      • Guest Essays
    • Guest Editorials
  • Classifieds
  • Obituaries
  • E-Edition
  • Podcasts
  • Marketing Services
  • Contact
    • Contact Us
    • Submit a Classified Ad
    • Submit Announcement
    • About the Dominion Post
  • Sign In
Dominion Post
Subscribe
  • Home
  • News
    • Latest News
      • Business
      • Community
      • Cops and Courts
      • Education
      • Religion
      • WVU News
    • Government
      • West Virginia Legislature
      • Granville Council
      • Kingwood Council
      • Monongalia County
      • Morgantown Council
      • Preston County
      • Reedsville Coucil
      • Westover Council
    • General Election Results 2020
    • Entertainment
      • Life & Leisure
      • Marquee
    • Contributors
      • Aldona Bird
      • Becca Fint Clark
      • Dr. Michael Hogan
      • Dr. Trembush and Dr. Stout
      • H.R. Scott
      • Healthy Living
      • Irene Marinelli
      • Joe Smith
      • John Samsell
      • Justin Jackson
      • Keenan Cummings
      • Kerri Kosten
      • MaryWade Triplett
      • Sean Manning
      • Vaageesha Das
  • Sports
    • Local Sports
    • WVU Sports
    • Outdoors
  • Opinion
    • Editorials
    • Daily Columnists
      • Cal Thomas
      • Leonard Pitts Jr.
      • Froma Harrop
      • Salena Zito
      • Hoppy Kercheval
    • Letters to the Editor
      • Letters
      • Guest Essays
    • Guest Editorials
  • Classifieds
  • Obituaries
  • E-Edition
  • Podcasts
  • Marketing Services
  • Contact
    • Contact Us
    • Submit a Classified Ad
    • Submit Announcement
    • About the Dominion Post
  • Sign In
Dominion Post
No Result
View All Result
Home Energy

Noteworthy commission projects of 2020

by Ben Conley, The Dominion Post
January 3, 2021
in Energy, Government, Latest News, Monongalia County
4 min read
Commission isn’t planning courthouse closure, discusses employee sick leave
360
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Be it an individual, a family, a business, an agency, a city, county, state or nation, 2020 can essentially be summed up in eight characters, COVID-19.

 And while that’s certainly true for Monongalia County, there was some other stuff that happened, too.

 But we might as well get it out of the way.

In the red

Festive as it may be, red isn’t the color you want to see representing the rate at which COVID-19 is burning through your county.

In July, Monongalia County became the first county in the state to hit that grim designation, based on a seven-day rolling average of daily positive COVID-19 cases per 100,000 population.

At that time, Monongalia County represented about 30% of the state’s active cases with 436, the vast majority of which were between the ages of 18-29.

This prompted a number of reactions, both locally and at the state level, including an executive order by  Gov. Jim Justice to shut down the county’s bars from July to October — minus a few days in September.

Throughout all of this, the Monongalia County Health Department has undertaken a Herculean effort — working essentially around the clock since March to provide information, testing, contact tracing, and now, vaccine distribution. 

In the black

While we’re all literally sick of hearing about the spread of COVID-19, the continued spread of development in the county is far more welcome news.

 In January, the Monongalia County Commission authorized $70 million in additional bonding tied to the ongoing WestRidge development in the expanded University Town Centre TIF district.

A portion of those bonds will be used to finance a new access to Mylan Park from Exit 155 (WVU/Star City) on I-79.

The Division of Highways is expected to reconfigure Exit 155 starting sometime in 2021. In August, the DOH estimated the project at $66 million and said the original plan would be to turn the existing infrastructure into a divergent diamond interchange with a flyover heading west.

In October, the commission extended the Morgantown Industrial Park TIF from 25 to 30 years and increased the principal amount of the district by $1.5 million to help finance studies of a new I-79 interchange that would provide direct interstate access to the back of the park and open an additional 100-plus acres for development.

Tied to the interchange and park expansion is a private investment by Mountaintop Beverage estimated at $100 million.

In lieu

With a vote on Dec. 16, the commission finalized a 30-year payment in lieu of taxes agreement with daughter companies of Longview Power, clearing the way for the company’s billion-dollar gas and solar expansion. 

 The agreement, in the works  for some 18 months   between the commission, Longview and the Monongalia County Board of Education, will result in $60.7 million for use within the county.

Those dollars include $2.5 million when Longview — going under Mountain State Renewables for the solar facility and Mountain State Clean Energy for the gas facility — finalizes project financing.

Once construction is complete, just over $58.2 million will be paid over the next 30 years. Those funds will be split between PILOT ($3,100,000) and lease payments ($55,122,516).

Because the agreement is structured so the bulk of the money comes through lease payments, the commission needed additional consideration from the board of education.

The PILOT/lease ratio is structured to get around the state holding PILOT payments against school districts when calculating school aid formula, as it is with the original Longview PILOT, passed in 2003 and worth $108 million — $105 million in PILOT payments and $3 million in lease payments.

“About 98% of these dollars will stay here in Mon County, as opposed to the other agreement, where only 69% stays here in Mon County,” Commissioner Sean Sikora explained.

The expansion will include a 1,200 megawatt combined cycle gas facility powered by two high-efficiency, low-heat-rate gas turbines. It will occupy 54 acres north of and adjacent to the existing coal-fired plant in Maidsville.

It will also include solar array fields near the existing coal plant and in Pennsylvania. Combined, the arrays will generate about 70 megawatts and cover hundreds of acres.

TWEET @BenConley_DP

Tags: bar closuresboard of educationcoronavirusCOVID-19developmentLongview Powermon boeMon County barsMonongalia County CommissionMorgantown Industrial Parkrenewable energysolar powertax increment financingTIFWestRidgeyear in review
Ben Conley, The Dominion Post

Ben Conley, The Dominion Post

More Articles

stock image of laptop
Education

Governor’s honors academy and arts school going virtual this summer

March 3, 2021
covid vaccine
Latest News

State lowers age to get COVID-19 vaccine

March 3, 2021
Community

Commission sets public hearing on creation of Harmony Grove TIF

March 3, 2021
WVU roundup: Baseball team hosts Va. Tech; game on TV
Baseball

WVU baseball team halts activities; home-opening series with Kent State, game vs. Marshall postponed

March 3, 2021
school bus reflection
Community

After the rain, Mon students return for in-person learning

March 2, 2021
baked feta and tomatoes
Community

Quarantine Kitchen: Baked tomatoes and feta

March 2, 2021
Load More
Next Post
Justice Aug. 24 press conferecne

The year in COVID reviewed

Dominion Post

© 2020 The Dominion Post.

Menu

  • Home
  • News
  • Sports
  • Opinion
  • Classifieds
  • Obituaries
  • E-Edition
  • Podcasts
  • Marketing Services
  • Contact
  • Sign In

Follow Us

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Subscribe
  • Latest News
  • Sports
  • Classifieds
  • Obituaries
  • E-Edition
  • Podcasts
  • Advertising
  • Contact
  • Sign In

© 2020 The Dominion Post.