MORGANTOWN — Representatives of F.A.I.R., or Forced Annexation Isn’t Right, stopped by Morgantown City Hall on Friday with pushback on the city’s proposed plan to annex roughly 3.8 square miles through minor boundary adjustment.
The visit ended up with Morgantown Mayor Bill Kawecki and former Mayor Jim Manilla going back and forth on the issue.
Manilla is the president of F.A.I.R. and lives in one of the areas targeted for annexation.
“We turned in 1,700 signed signature cards and sheets from people who are opposed to forced annexation into the city,” Manilla said, explaining that the cards have all been collected since F.A.I.R. drew approximately 300 people to an informational meeting on June 17.
After dropping the cards in the city clerk’s office, Manilla and Brooke Bolyard, who handles F.A.I.R.’s social media accounts, ran into Kawecki.
Manilla asked why the city didn’t opt to allow a vote on annexation by those to be impacted. He also asked why the city’s annexation plan includes more than 350 businesses but specifically cuts out Mylan Pharmaceuticals.
“Because they are a major player in the area,” Kawecki said.
Manilla asked if Kawecki thought that was fair to the businesses that are included in the annexation plan.
“So do you think it’s right to move over the line and take advantage of every service the city provides?” Kawecki responded.
A short time later the impromptu debate appeared to end, but ultimately continued as the trio left the building.
“We’ll see you July 11 at North Elementary,” Manilla said, referencing the first of Morgantown’s planned public meetings on annexation.
“And we’ll look forward to it,” Kawecki said.
The exchange was recorded and is posted on social media.
Bolyard said the 1,700 cards turned in on Friday represent a fraction of what’s been distributed, but the goal was to get them turned in by June 30, which was initially listed as the end of a month-long public comment period.
However, City Manager Paul Brake said there is plenty of discussion to come.
“I guess there’s been the misimpression that it’s a firm deadline,” Brake said. “The timeframe that I put together … that was just a proposed timeframe. There’s no end date that we have to have this done by. If anything, based on the amount of activity, it’s probably something where we’ll have to have even an increased number of meetings with neighborhood associations and different business owners along with the open houses that we’re planning.”
The city has four public sessions planned on annexation, including:
July 11 — 6-8 p.m. in the North Elementary School Gym
July 15 — 6:30-8:30 p.m. at the BOPARC Marilla Center
July 18 — 1-3 p.m. in the Morgantown Municipal Airport ARFF Training Room
July 22 — 6-8 p.m. at the Morgantown Event Center Mariott
All told, the city’s annexation plan would bring 12,830 residents, 367 businesses and 43 miles of roads into the city’s boundaries, growing the city’s footprint by about 36%.
The annexation plan is broken into a number of pockets all around the city and includes areas like the Mileground and Suncrest Towne Centre.
Annexation information, including a map of the areas targeted, is available on the city’s website, morgantownwv.gov.
