The idea of water running downhill is not difficult to understand.
But the reality of preventing water from running down hill is both difficult and expensive.
Just ask Star City.
The town’s leadership is actively seeking financing for a large project that would, among other things, prevent Fenwick Street from becoming the path of least resistance for stormwater every time there’s heavy rain.
“We’re talking about an $8.5 million stormwater upgrade that’s needed; that’s been needed. Star City’s budget is $2.5 million,” Star City Mayor Sharon Doyle said. “We’re very aggressively working to get the funding together and see what we can do to get this project moving forward.”
The town’s leadership hired RK&K Civil Engineering to study the issue following severe flooding during the historic rain events in summer 2021.
The firm presented its findings to the Monongalia County Commission in August 2022, explaining Fenwick is basically acting as a drain for 60 acres of stormwater runoff heading down hill to the Monongahela River.
Much of that stormwater originates in Morgantown and a strip of county land between Morgantown and Star City known as no-man’s land.
“This is a big project,” Doyle said. “Obviously, Star City has got to be involved, but MUB’s got to be involved in this, the county, the city of Morgantown has got to be involved.”
Doyle went on to say the town is looking at all possible funding avenues, including the possible use of increment from the town’s Boyers Avenue TIF district.
During its most recent meeting, the Monongalia County Commission approved an engagement letter to retain Piper Sandler as an underwriter/placement agent in the event TIF dollars can be used.
“We don’t want to have to go that route. It would probably be the last resort, but we if need X amount of dollars and that’s an option and the money is there, we’ll have to evaluate that,” Doyle said.
