MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Morgantown City Manager Paul Brake has expressed concern and disappointment after MUB unanimously voted to abort a plan to use a portion of White park for the 30-inch raw water pipeline from the Flegal Dam and Reservoir to the Morgantown water treatment plant.
Brake said,”This tactic, without really making it known, we discussed at the beginning of the negotiation process how we would conduct things, and that went outside of that conversation.”
The pipeline project was about 80 percent complete when it was shut down in May of 2019. Since MUB has held eight public meetings, performed engineering analysis, developed a soil management plan and conducted a site assessment involving the WV DEP. Additionally, MUB has changed the route multiple times at the request of city council, the Mon Valley Green Space Coalition and citizens.
After the route through a portion of White Park was approved September 3 work began on the licensing agreement that would dictate site reclamation, compensation for trees that would be lost and other requests.
One of the snags in the negotiations was a provision that said the city could require MUB to remove the pipeline at their own expense upon 30 to 60 days notice sa the agreement stated “for any reason or at any time.”
In an email dated September 17 MUB General Manager Tim Ball stated,”For MUB to agree to such language would be irresponsible, and that we had a duty to our ratepayers to protect their #3 million invested in the pipeline.”
In another email from Ball to Brake on October 3 Ball said in part,”We find that the parties remain at significantly different positionson three major issues. So much so, that if we cannot find acceptable solutions to those issues, the other remaining lesser ones become irrelevant.
Morgantown City Manager Paul Brake maintains the process is still alive and he and Ball are still corresponding.
“It’s out intent to still forward the proposed revisions to the language but there’s no guarantee”, Brake said.
A link to public document, including emails is here.