MORGANTOWN — After months of back and forth with the county over property lines and boundaries, the Town of Granville’s annexation request received its public hearing during Wednesday’s Monongalia County Commission meeting.
The result — disputes over property lines and boundaries.
Unlike a 2017 annexation effort that ended up being denied by the commission, this annexation by minor boundary adjustment request includes only West Virginia Division of Highways rights of way and no residential or business properties.
The plan includes County Route 19 from the Star City Bridge to 507 Scotts Run Road (Granville Fire Department Station 2), Lady Bug Lane, Scotts Run Road from the municipal line to Lady Bug Lane and Chaplin Road from Westover’s municipal boundary to the intersection of Route 19.
Granville Mayor Patricia Lewis explained that as the city lines are currently defined, first responders and city employees from Granville are traveling in and out of the town’s boundaries to get to areas like the University Towne Centre.
The annexation would also connect the town to 507 Scotts Run Road, which is property of the Granville Fire Department. Granville Fire Chief Butch Renner said the town wants to invest in that property to make it a training facility that would be available for use by first responders across the county.
“The primary reason for this request is to allow our police, fire, street, code and office staff to travel within municipal limits. I think Granville is unique in that it’s the only municipality in the county that is unable to do that, through no fault of our own,” Lewis said. “There is no interest on the part of Granville to annex any residences or businesses, as we’re not seeking to make this boundary adjustment for financial gain of any kind.”
However, Commissioner Sean Sikora said data provided by the county assessor’s office indicates the annexation would take in multiple privately owned parcels off Route 19, near the Star City Bridge.
Dave Sharp, of Potesta & Associates, said that was not the intention and he would investigate further.
“We followed the written description from the Department of Highways, so I guess what I would question is whether or not these are included in the Department of Highways right of way,” Sharp said. “It was our intention to follow the Division of Highways right of way and not include personal properties.”
Sharp said he would also take a look at claims which have been made previously by the town of Star City and reiterated in a letter to the commission opposing the annexation.
Star City Mayor Herman Reid said Star City officials believe Granville’s existing boundaries are infringing upon Star City. Reid said Granville overstepped at some point in the past when it came below the Star City Bridge and placed its corporate boundary sign along Main Street (Route 100).
Reid said Star City owns to the high water mark on the northern (Granville) side of the river.
“Whether by their own doing or by previous commissioners allowing the minor boundary adjustment to be approved, this has created many questions about the accuracy of the corporate limits of the Town of Granville, as well as our own town,” Reid wrote.
Reid raised similar points in 2016, when both Granville and Star City were looking at potential annexation plans.
Renner said he believed this matter was already raised and resolved explaining, “the high water mark is on the bank, it’s not up on the road.”
Lewis agreed.
“I thought that was already cleared up and on record here,” she said.
The only other feedback came by way of attorney Wendy Adkins on behalf of Main Sanitation owner Kenny Jackson.
Adkins said the annexation plan does not include a state-mandated statement of impact on any private solid waste collection service operating in the territory to be annexed. As Jackson services along roads to be annexed, he’s concerned about the town eventually taking over trash services there.
“Mr. Jackson I won’t say affirmatively opposes. What we’re here to seek is clarification and to get those statements included in the application for annexation,” Adkins said.
According to Lewis, Granville has no intention of expanding its trash pickup service, which is provided only to its residents and doesn’t extend to areas like the University Town Centre.
Lastly, the commissioners said they would like to see a written agreement with the DOH spelling out how different repairs or treatment of the roads in question would be handled, and by whom, if the annexation is successful.
“I would encourage you to formalize some sort of MOU [memorandum of understanding] that would document who does what. You don’t want a situation where the right hand doesn’t know what the left hand is doing and a road is left uncovered because the DOH thinks you’re doing it and you’re under some different understanding,” Sikora said.
The commission said it would await clarification on the rights of way issues and any supplemental documentation and begin deliberating on the application as soon as possible.
