MORGANTOWN — Thursday’s meeting of the West Virginia Water Development Authority ended up being a good news, bad news situation.
The good news — Morgantown Utility Board projects to upgrade infrastructure supporting Osage, University Town Centre, WestRidge, Gateway, Mylan Park and Chaplin Hill Business park were approved for funding.
The bad news — it wasn’t nearly the funding MUB was after.
According to MUB Spokesman Chris Dale, the WDA approved a total of $3 million, broken down into equal $1.5 million allocations for water and sewer upgrade projects.
The utility was seeking $7,031,500 or 50% of the $14,063,000 combined anticipated cost of the water ($7,225,000) and sewer ($6,838,000) infrastructure improvements.
When you add in the $7 million local match and the $3 million grant allocation, you’re left about $4 million short.
“We are extremely appreciative of the WDA’s support of these critical projects,” Dale said. “MUB will promptly begin working with the area stakeholders to close the remaining $4 million gap to fully fund the upgrades. I have little doubt that we’ll work through this given the importance of these infrastructure projects.”
It was noted by both Monongalia County Commissioner Sean Sikora and Ryan Lynch, of WestRidge, that MUB ($3,590,000), WestRidge ($1,391,500) and the Monongalia County Commission ($2,050,000) have already pulled together $7 million in order to make the 50% ask of the WDA.
“I always try to look at the good side of things,” Sikora said. “We took two steps forward and one step back because we didn’t get everything we wanted, but it’s still progress nonetheless. We’re going to keep these projects going forward. They’re vital; critical for economic development in that area of the county and our county as a whole.”
During Thursday’s meeting, the WDA approved $96 million in Economic Enhancement Fund Grant dollars for 30 applicants — 14 of which received their full funding request and 16 of which, like MUB, received a portion.
Based on information provided to The Dominion Post, Ann Urling, Gov. Jim Justice’s Deputy Chief of Staff, explained criteria used to evaluate the projects factored in the ability for locals to contribute more and noted projects that were funded in full were deemed to have little to no other funding sources available.
Among the applicants to be fully funded was $13 million for the Greater Harrison County Public Service District. The Berkeley County Public Service Water District received $18.4 million as one of the other 15 partially funded projects.
