180 Hart Field Road

Morgantown, WV 26508

(304) 291-9571

www.plantogether.org





Citizen’s Advisory Committee

March 20, 2007

Minutes:



I. Attendance:


The meeting began at 1:30pm in the second floor conference room of the Morgantown Municipal Airport. Those in attendance were: Russ Lorince, Bill Rice, Chilton Wise, Jim Gaston, Tom Cyphert, Mike Kelly, Don Spencer, Don Reinke, Bill Wyant, Lyn Dotson, and Chet Parsons.


II. Public Comment:


Lyn Dotson would like direction on how we approach the traffic problems. He believes that there are little things that we can do that would help alleviate some of these issues. He is proposing to change some of the interstate routing from going through downtown and have the downtown routes become business routes. He provided a couple of examples such as US119 and Route 19 towards Beckley .


III. Housekeeping:


There were no housekeeping issues at this time.


IV. Membership:


Chet stated that the goal for today’s meeting is to establish what the committee wants to accomplish. He also wanted to make sure that the CAC has representation from all the groups that needed to be represented as well making sure each member is still committed to the process. Mike Kelly would like to see a renewal of member appointments every two years. His goal is to make sure that the public has a voice in the planning process. Mike also state that the CAC is charged with giving the MPO advice as to what the citizens of the community want.

Don Reinke would like to see more participation from the Morgantown Utility Board (MUB) as well as the County Planning Commission. He also questions the length of time it has taken to get zoning passed in the county. Bill Rice comments that the county has no enforcement mechanism and the Commissioners have not seen an ordinance in which they can sign on without causing major controversy. Lyn Dotson responds by saying that we have to make decisions based on the best interest of the community and try not to have special interest control.

V. General Comments:


Bill Rice comments that recently he has seen positive changes in the University participation as well as increased ridership with Mountain Line Transit. Mike Kelly would like to see Monongalia County BOE partner with Mountain Line Transit for after-school activities. He believes that it would be beneficial for all parties involved. Don Spencer said that the president of the Morgantown Youth Commission went to the Transit Board and asked for the same ridership privileges that the University students have.


Don Reinke proposes merging committees or meetings so that representatives are gathering at the same time. Don Spencer is in agreement. Bill Rice asks Chet what decisions does the Policy Board have to make between now and December 31, 2007. He responds funding disbursements, user fee and project planning. Chet would like to delve into the plan and begin picking out projects and start planning. Don Spencer believes the three key words that we need to remember are: design, dollars and dedication. He hopes that the MPO will continue to be full in attendance and maximize the opportunities. Russ Lorince asks what are the obstacles between now and the implementation phase. Chet responds that he thinks the biggest obstacle is the county, not so much in support, but in terms of guiding growth. The sooner the County Commission can get an ordinance on the books, the better it will be.


Bill Wyant’s concern is implementation planning. He says we need to plan the implementation which include operational improvements and heavy construction because otherwise we might not have a community worth coming into. He also states that we cannot exasperate the transportation problems by not having an implementation plan.


  1. User Fee:


Chet Parsons informs the group that one thing the CAC can do is focus on the User Fee. Don Reinke agrees and encourages the group to start educating the public on it. Chet said a special election on the User Fee will take place late summer or early fall. The County Commission has asked Chet to assemble a study group that will formulate all the economics and public relations. By law, the County Commission is responsible for putting up the election. They have to present a slate of specific projects to the voters which include: roads, water or sewer. He believes that this first election will only deal with roads because that is the major public concern. The funding received can only be used for those specific projects. Chet hopes the county will implement some sort of mechanism to allow this project to continue in the future.


Russ Lorince suggested that the Citizen’s Advisory Committee write a recommendation to the County Commission to encourage them to move rapidly in the formation of the study group that will be focusing on the User Fee. Lyn Dotson suggested that once

the study group is formed, he recommends separating it into subcommittees to focus on certain areas. He also urges the group to not have the vote in the summer. He thought it best to wait until the University is back in session. The members agreed that a vote in early fall would be best.


VII. Falling Run / 705 Connector:


Chet informed the group that the MPO has amended their contract with URS. The MPO is beginning a detailed traffic study on the 705 Connector and how that will tie into Falling Run Road as well as Beechurst from Eighth Street to the Westover Bridge. The study will take four to five months to get accurate traffic results.


VIII. Next Meeting:


The next meeting of the Citizen’s Advisory Committee will be held on Tuesday, April 17, 2007 at 1:30 in the second floor conference room of the Morgantown Municipal Airport.


IX. Adjournment:


The meeting adjourned at 3:00pm.