MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — The purchase of the Haymaker Forest could be seen as an insult to Morgantown citizens fighting for the upkeep of existing green spaces already in the city, according to Nikki Byrne-Hoffman in an open letter to Morgantown City Council.
Morgantown City Council has been talking about purchasing the Haymaker Forest, approximately 40 acres of land to be preserved as a public green space for residents to enjoy. The price tag for the property is $5.2 million.
However, some Morgantown residents, who have fought for the city’s existing green spaces, see it is as a “blow in the face” to their efforts.
Nikki Byrne-Hoffman, a career biologist and lifetime community servant is one of those residents.
“I personally have worked on Woodburn School Redevelopment Commision and in the Jerome Park Neighborhood Association with trying to maintain our green spaces in the city,” Hoffman said on WAJR’s Morgantown AM. “And every time, it doesn’t matter if its three hundred dollars or $50 thousand we’re always met with the same response from the city and BOPARK- they don’t have the money.”
“So, it’s kind of odd to me that they’re suddenly able to spend $5.2 million,” she said.
According to Hoffman, there are several projects that need attention from the city, such as redevelopment of Woodburn Elementary school’s playground and upgrades to Paul Preserve Park.
In her letter, she explained the status of the city’s current green spaces as one part of her opposition to the purchase of the Haymaker Forest. She wrote that there are drug needles found in Paul Preserve and other city parks, mud holes from illegal parking and swamps created by improper drainage. When trying to request funds for the parks, she has always been denied.
When it came to the plan for Woodburn Elementary playground, the city rebuilt steps that were supposed to be torn down. Hoffman also never hear back from the city upon requesting $50 thousand for the Paul Preserve Park renovations.
One of Hoffman’s main points in her letter to city council was the city supposedly does not have funding for Morgantown’s current green spaces, so how would the city fund a new space- one that costs more than $5 million?
“I think when you have that much money on the line and that much space, 40 acres, you really have to have a solid plan before you move forward with this,” she said.
Several ideas have been floated for funding mechanisms to pay for the property purchase, including an excess levy and selling other city-owned green spaces.
“I think that’s a blow in the face to citizens who have fought very hard for their existing green spaces to say ‘oh we might sell a piece of that property off,’ but also you see that the Monongalia County Redevelopment Authority has a piece of property by the airport, 13 acres that’s been sitting there for sale for how many years, Hoffman said. “It’s been for sale as long as I’ve lived in my neighborhood, so assuming that you could sell the property to try to recoup those costs if that levy didn’t pass is really unrealistic.”
Another issue that she had with the purchase is its close proximity to a high income neighborhood.
According to Hoffman, historic Jerome Park green space has recently been developed into houses against the wishes of the home owners and their neighbors.
“So what we’re hearing, as neighbors in this community, is that green space only matters as long as it is next to a higher income neighborhood, and especially if it is in a city councilor’s back yard,” she said in her letter.
Some may see the purchase as a conflict of interest considering the Haymaker Forest borders Deputy Mayor Mark Brazaitis’ property.
“I have no issue that he is really pushing for the purchase of that space because I do think it is a good idea in the end to expand the city into that area and to purchase this green space,” said Nikki Byrne-Hoffman, a biology professor at West Virginia University and lifetime community servant on WAJR’s Morgantown AM. “But let’s face it, he has a blatant conflict of interest when he votes on this issue. His property value is protected if this space is protected by the city ordinance. So as much I as I support them and wish that they would pursue this in some way, I don’t agree with the terms of this agreement that they’re going to try to push forward. I don’t at all.”
“I think that Deputy Mayor Brazaitis is very passionate about it because he of course it’s in his neighborhood and it’s very close to home and I don’t blame him for that at all,” Hoffman said. “I would be right there fighting too if it were in my neighborhood, but also I think that we have to take a step back and think about the impact that this is going to have on taxpayers, the impact it’s going to have on our city budgets and I really don’t want to see us purchase 40 acres of property without a plan to maintain it in place.”
Hoffman, someone who voted for every single member of the current city council says she is appalled by their actions. “Mark, you may pick up your political sign from our home because we will not need it next election,” she wrote.
To read the full letter, visit Nikki Byrnes-Hoffman on facebook.