MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – In Morgantown, BOPARC has approved the agreement for recreational facilities at the Flegal Reservoir and Dam. BOPARC Executive Director Mellissa Wiles made it clear the agreement does not include design specifics or a timeline, but allows the city and BOPARC to begin the public engagement phase.
“It doesn’t specify exactly what is going to be done, it is not meant to” Wiles said. ” As Emily (Muzzarelli) eluded to, that comes later when we’re doing public meetings.”
Morgantown Assistant City Manager, Emily Muzzarelli said efforts have focused on agreeing on a framework that met the needs of all three entities- Morgantown, the Morgantown Utility Board (MUB) and BOPARC. With the basic agreement in place, officials can turn their attention to meeting with residents in the area and the public at-large.
“But, we felt it was not appropriate to do that before we actually knew we could put recreation there, so that was the first hurdle,” Muzzarelli said.
Deputy Mayor Danielle Trumble said she has followed progress of the Flegal Reservoir and Dam project since about 2015. But, Trumble expressed excitement that community members could begin offering their input soon.
“I would like to echo Assistant City Manager Emily Muzzarelli’s statements that nothing has been planned,” Trumble said. “There has not yet been a lack of engagement- there really hasn’t been anything. This agreement simply allows us the ability to plan.”
Mayor Jenny Selin said she wants to enage the people in the Flegal Reservoir and Dam area, but she wants to make sure the community has input and knows the possibilities the new park can offer.
“When people are thinking about this, they should consider this as their reservoir also,” Selin said. “There is the possibility of walking and biking trails, fishing and non-motorized watercraft.”
Additionally, Selin said the DNR has been in contact and they are exploring the possibility of stocking the reservoir.
“They do that at their expense is my understanding and they also provide some supervision of fishing if it’s part of the stocking program,” Selin said. “So, there are a lot of wonderful possibilities here.”
The agreement makes Morgantown the responsible party for payment for the work and materials, BOPARC must manage and maintain the property and neither party can impede MUB’s ability to manage the fresh water source.