MORGANTOWN — “Finally,” Monongalia County Commission President Tom Bloom said Wednesday as the commission voted to approve an agreement to facilitate the release of American Rescue Plan Act dollars for the Upper Popenoe Run sanitary and stream restoration project.
The agreement, prepared by legal counsel for the city of Morgantown, follows verbal commitments from both the county and the city dating back to 2021, when both agreed to put up $1 million in ARPA dollars to address a small portion of the Morgantown Utility Board’s combined system overwhelmed during historic rain events earlier that summer.
The project will replace 3,000 feet of 60-year-old clay sewer main, approximately 1,200 feet of new storm sewers and 2,800 linear feet of stream restoration for Popenoe Run, between Willowdale Road and Stewart Street.
Earlier this month, MUB General Manager Mike McNulty said MUB hoped to schedule a public meeting in the area of the project, potentially in January.
The project made headlines this past August when commissioners hinted at rescinding the county’s ARPA commitment citing fears the project was being held hostage over bad blood between MUB and the city of Morgantown.
“We’ve discussed this a lot over the past year so I’m glad we’re finally getting this in place,” Commissioner Sean Sikora said.
MUB approved a $420,000 contract with E.L. Robinson Engineering for planning, design, bid administration and construction monitoring of the project in July.
In October, McNulty said a preliminary project cost for the work was $2,055,000. The project likely won’t go out to bid until spring at the earliest.
In other county news, the commission office will be closed until Jan. 3.
