Harrison community continues to wrongly attempt to undermine this area’s success

This is starting to become a habit.
Or worse, a twisted strategy to make others weaker because it cannot be stronger.
In late 2011, the Benedum Airport Authority, which oversees the North Central West Virginia Airport, in Bridgeport, decried efforts to extend the runway at Morgantown’s airport. That followed Morgantown receiving a substantial grant from the Federal Aviation Authority for capital improvement projects.
Benedum officials indicated Morgantown’s airport did not need public funds to accommodate Big 12 teams’ charter jets, the athletic conference WVU had recently joined.
According to them, the Bridgeport airport already had a long enough runway to handle those aircraft.
The flaw in that argument, was Morgantown began pursuing plans and funds to extend its airport nearly a decade before then and still is pursuing them.
Then, in March 2013, Bridgeport’s mayor attempted to nix legislative approval for a tax-increment financing district (TIF) to finance the Monongalia County ballpark.
Not only did that mayor circulate a resolution to his city council, but also called on powerful legislators from that area to deny this new TIF district.
He added that the new TIF was unnecessary and would put our city and Bridgeport in direct competition.
For a county and a community that do not even remotely border each other, that’s one heck of a stretch.
Never mind that this was counter-intuitive to the best interest of north-central West Virginia.
We bring this up because when county commissioners from the Division of Highways’ District 4 recently joined forces on road conditions guess who declined to participate?
Harrison County, the only one of six counties in District 4. And guess where District 4’s office is located? Bridgeport.
No, we’re not suggesting the DOH is complicit in the Harrison County Commission’s decision. But we have to think others in Harrison County are wielding a misguided kind of influence.
Could it be they fear the DOH might commit to fewer projects in their county? Whatever the reason for Harrison County declining to join its peers in District 4 to improve roads it’s undoubtedly a bad one.
We understand when counties and communities are in direct competition for enplanements, retailers or road projects they will attempt to one-up each other.
But to spite others by peddling irresponsible official comments or even meddling in legislative decisions to spite another community is all kinds of wrong.
Perhaps some now believe Bridgeport’s best interests are served by ignoring road conditions across this region.
We’re unsure what’s behind this one-sided, petty rivalry with Morgantown and the rest of this region.
True, old habits die hard. But better them than this entire region coming to a bad end.