Western end of county
suffers deplorable roads
The Department of Transportation in West Virginia has long been a source of corruption in our state. Roads have seldom improved in the last 50 years; in fact, they have gotten much worse in the last 20 years.
Ditches and drains have not been done in over 10 years on W.Va. 7 west of Morgantown, side roads even longer. No equipment is given to the Pentress road garage. It is on loan from Morgantown. If any equipment comes this way workers barely have time to do a job before it must be returned.
Our locals are not physically capable and do not have resources to get the job done. Contractors must be hired with state money this summer.
Neighboring states see where their tax dollars go. Big severance dollars come from the western end of Monongalia County due to oil, gas, lumber, trucking companies, etc. That fact seems ignored by our local commissioners who are more interested in rail trails. Some $5 million was spent on a sidewalk, bicycle trail and lights on the Monongahela Boulevard while the western end suffers deplorable road conditions. Want to bring in tourism, build the roads and they will come.
W.Va. 7 west is nearly impassable. In two more years if roads are left unattended they certainly will be impassable. Working people’s automobiles are worn out before the payment book is half gone. To blame our present governor is ludicrous. He did not create this problem. Money earmarked for certain jobs suddenly gets transferred to other places or disappears completely. Apparently the paper trail also disappears.
Kudos to Gov. Jim Justice for hiring an accountant as supervisor for the DOT. Bet that man’s hair is standing straight up.
If it means changing the state Constitution to get changes the state legislators who are elected year after year will be required to do something, change the Constitution. Checks and balances must be put into place to ensure money goes to where it is needed and is used where intended.
Justice should play hardball and let us see the results on W.Va. 7 west of Morgantown.
Betty Haas
Core
Bigger Grand Bash was
certainly not better
This is the fourth time I have attended the Grand Bash and I have to say it was very disappointing this year. I usually go to have a good time and to see people I haven’t seen in awhile but this year that was totally impossible.
First, when I got there I needed to turn in the bottom of my ticket with my contact information on it, but no one I asked knew what to do with them so I have no idea where it ended up. None of the staff seemed to know anything if asked a question.
I always like to buy the pull tab chances but they were few and far between. I had two friends that never made it to the event because of traffic. Traffic from the interstate was backed up. Then the parking places ran out, as well as the food. People had to wait for more food to be cooked.
I can’t remember how many times the wrong number was announced and had to be corrected. I never win anything but it’s for a good cause and it doesn’t matter. I just go to have an enjoyable time.
There just didn’t seem to be any organization to the bash this year. Bigger is not always better as was proven this year.
Wanda Yeager
Morgantown
Hate not welcome in
the Morgantown area
Twenty years ago, a group of concerned citizens from Morgantown reacted to a KKK demonstration in Fairmont by forming the Community Coalition for Social Justice.
At that time, no local group existed that could stand together to publicly decry this type of hatred.
Today, after fliers were recently distributed in several area neighborhoods urging people to join the KKK, the Community Coalition for Social Justice stands united with the city of Morgantown, a declared inclusive community, which does not support intolerance of any kind. Hate is not welcome here.
Susan Brown
and Sandra Nelms
Community Coalition for Social Justice
Morgantown
