16 hours ago
Mon Commission not getting swept up in Richard water issues
Jun. 25—MORGANTOWN — "We're frustrated, " Monongalia County Commission President Jeff Arnett said Wednesday, "But we're not giving up."
Arnett's comments were directed to Richard-area resident and property owner Kevin Dailey.
The commission's stated frustration is a result of its inability to address water issues in the small, unincorporated area that have been brought before the body periodically for years — and almost weekly for months now.
The problem, commissioners have repeated time and again, is the county has very little standing outside the involvement of Floodplain Administrator Harold "Hap " Sperringer.
They see it primarily as an issue between private landowners with possible involvement necessary from the West Virginia Division of Highways in regard to the DOH's stormwater infrastructure along WV-7 (Earl L. Core Road).
Dailey presented the commission with a petition including the names of 11 Richard area property owners requesting an evening work session with representatives of the county and relevant state agencies.
The commission seemed reluctant to accommodate that specific request.
During last week's meeting, Commissioner Tom Bloom expressed frustration with Chad Matheny — who runs a business and rental properties in Richard — over his belief that Matheny had misrepresented himself to the DOH as somehow speaking on behalf of the commission.
Matheny said that was not the case. Further, Matheny said he was told by a DOH representative that the problems lie solely with property owners, not the state.
That, he said, is also not accurate.
"This morning, I got up early after the rain. It had stopped raining. I have video footage of several drains that are totally stagnant. There's no water going through them whatsoever, " Matheny previously said, referencing DOH storm drops.
While Dailey and Matheny are at odds over the particulars of what's causing all the water to collect in Richard, they both seem to believe the DOH has a role to play in fixing it.
And they're both getting similar responses when asking for assistance from the commission.
"We have beat the drum on this to anyone that would listen. At one point we had a representative from DOH. We had Hap [Sperringer ] there at a meeting, and we're not giving up on the issue, " Arnett said. "But Commissioner Bloom is right in that we're limited in what we can do. What we can do is bring, or at least request, the parties that can do something come to the table. And Hap is doing a good job trying to coordinate the thing and get help where he can. He's reaching out to different entities — DEP, DOH — trying to get somebody to come in and take ownership."
In other news, the commission canceled its July 16 regular meeting.
