MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — The City of Morgantown is ready to introduce a new essential tool-sharing initiative that aims to help residents complete projects around their property.
The MOTO Toolbox program was officially unveiled to city officials in early October as part of an effort to introduce resident-friendly programs that work to reduce financial barriers for issues such as home maintenance. Community Development Services Coordinator Caitlyn Lewis showcased details of the program to the Morgantown City Council ahead of an official rollout of the program that is scheduled to take place sometime in the fall. The program is supported with a $50,000 allocation of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding.
“Our team recognized that there were some barriers in place for property maintenance,” said Lewis on the purpose of the MOTO Toolbox. “Whether that’s a financial barrier or the hesitancy to purchase a tool that you might only use one or two times.”
Participation in the MOTO Toolbox program simply requires a resident to be aged 18 years or older and have two forms of identification when selecting a tool for use. Once they show a valid form and proof of residency (i.e., utility bills, lease agreement, or a W-2), they will then be allowed to have a seven-day loan period for the tools to avoid any equipment purchases for jobs that might only be done once. Options will also be available for a one-time extended loan period if submitted before the original due date. The tools will be stored in two separate storage trailers, one will be 8 feet wide and 16 feet long, with the other being 6 feet wide and 10 feet long.
“It’s a free tool lending library that’s open to all residents in the City of Morgantown, local organizations, or groups,” said Lewis. “And we have an inventory of about 500 tools.”
According to Lewis, the tools that will be available for residents will range from typical gardening and hardware tools to heavier machinery that will be used for large-scale projects. This will vary from post diggers for anyone looking to build a fence around their home to chainsaws if a tree needs to come down. To account for residents requesting different sets of the same tools, there will be at least a duplicate for basic tools to avoid any wait list that will be seen for singular mechanical items.
“I think we maybe have just one chainsaw, but for the most part, we have more than one (tool available),” said Lewis. “And so the intention is that if somebody needs to check out a weed whacker, then we have two of them, and we have a backup, so if somebody hasn’t returned it, there’s a second one.”
Any items returned late will be charged a $1 a day late fee, and any item that isn’t returned within 30 days will be charged to the person associated with the account at the full market price.
The plan for the Morgantown City Department of Development Services is to have MOTO Toolbox fully in place by the end of the fall. Any resident who takes part will be able to borrow any tool free of charge, with the expectation that there will be no waiting list necessary for anyone needing items such as a hammer or a pair of branch clippers. With the community program expected to be in full swing in the coming months, Lewis encourages residents to check out the MOTO Toolbox when it shows up around town.
“We wanted to put this forward that could potentially empower local organizations to do the change that they want to do,” said Lewis. “And then also to equip residents with the tools that they need to help with property maintenance.”