MORGANTOWN — Morgantown Deputy Mayor Danielle Trumble said Tuesday that members of city council are working with city administration and Police Chief Eric Powell to address loitering near the Morgantown Public Library.
Trumble’s comments came in response to public remarks offered from Brian Kurcaba, who said he and his family are long-time supporters of the library system, but likely won’t be returning to the Morgantown branch on Spruce Street until something changes.
“It’s really to the point I don’t feel comfortable bringing my children down to the library anymore,” the former West Virginia House of Delegates member said. “I’ve kind of stayed out of city affairs or public affairs for a number of years, but that was enough to spark me to come down and voice my concerns.”
Trumble said she’s not only heard the same from “several” city residents, but has expressed it herself.
“I am nearly ashamed to say that during a meeting with city administration, the mayor and the police chief last week, I expressed the same thing,” she said. “That day I had been to the library in the middle of the day and would not take my 8-year-old son with me.”
The library is next door to Milan Puskar Health Right and across the street from the Morgantown Public Safety Building, all on Spruce Street.
But Councilor Dave Harshbarger said the issues go well beyond Spruce Street.
Harshbarger said his wife was with a group of women who witnessed active drug use, needles on the ground and people passed out at the Ruby Amphitheater at the riverfront just before noon this past Saturday.
“When I think about our amphitheater and what it could be, what it has been; just to have that be the face of the amphitheater on a Saturday late-morning was just really discouraging, and it’s unfortunate,” he said.
Powell previously said 21 of his department’s 76 authorized officer positions are unfilled.
In other news from Tuesday’s meeting, a number of council members, including Mayor Jenny Selin, Trumble and Ixya Vega expressed disappointment with the decision of Monongalia County Schools to remove Pride flags from classrooms.
A Sept. 8 letter circulated by the central office said any items deemed to be political, including the flags, should be removed.
“Supporting a child is not a political movement. It is simply supporting a child, which is the job of the school systems,” Vega said. “I am so sorry for the students who have been made to feel less–than. This does not align with our city’s values.”
Lastly, council approved $5,000 to provide free ridership on Mountain Line’s Don Knotts Route in an effort to improve access to Hazel’s House of Hope.
Council is one of several funding sources covering the $25,000 cost of the service.
