WESTOVER – For the second time this month, the condition of Mall Road was raised during Monday’s meeting of Westover City Council.
The road, which connects to Fairmont Road (US 19), serves as the primary access point for the mall as well as several other businesses in the area.
While the city of Westover annexed the mall property into the city in 2016 following a three-year legal battle, Westover officials have explained the road is not the city’s responsibility.
According to information provided by Westover Public Services Director Jason Stinespring, the road is under West Virginia Division of Highways jurisdiction up to the traffic light at Lawless Road, next to the Burger King.
Beyond that point, it belongs to the mall up to the point where it splits off from the access to the parking area for Rural King
Councilor Mark Gall raised the issue Monday, noting both the number of severe potholes as well as a broken stretch of pavement that has raised up, forming a large ridge.
The issue was brought up two weeks prior during the public comment portion of council’s previous meeting.
“I know it’s not on us, but do we have any contact or anything with the people up at the Morgantown Mall? They’ve got some craters up there you could lose a car in, and there’s one place where there’s a humped-up place in the road you could jump a car off of,” Gall said.
Stinespring agreed with the assessment and said he would contact representatives of the mall.
“That right there, I’m surprised that hasn’t caused accidents,” Stinespring said of the raised asphalt.
The Dominion Post reached out to mall ownership for comment but didn’t receive a response in time for this report.
In other Westover news, Stinespring said he anticipates the former Westover Elementary School building on Morrison Street will be razed by the end of May.
According to the Monongalia County Assessor’s Office, Source Foundation Inc. purchased the property from Vic Solomon for $137,500 in February.
Stinespring previously told The Dominion Post that the anticipated future use of the site is the construction of affordable, single-family homes.
“Blue & Gold signed a contract with them to tear the building down. They have to do a 10-day notice with the DEP, and they sent that in last Thursday. So not this week, but next week, the 10-day notice would be up. Blue & Gold told them it may be two weeks to get it down,” Stinespring told members of council.
“So, by the end of May at the most … It’ll be down and then they can start working forward from there.”
