Mon Commission to provide ARPA funds for industrial park electrical upgrades

Ben Conley, The Dominion Post, Morgantown, W.Va.
·2 min read

Jul. 7—MORGANTOWN — As initially reported in April, the Monongalia County Commission is once again dipping into its American Rescue Plan Act dollars to aid development in the Morgantown Industrial Park.

Tom Aman, the county's bond counsel with Steptoe & Johnson, laid out an electric extension project agreement between the commission, Enrout Properties and Mon Power through which the commission will use up to $3, 104, 600 in ARPA revenue replacement dollars to upgrade electric in the park /Harmony Grove TIF district.

Revenue replacement dollars can be used at the discretion of ARPA funding recipients, like cities and counties, while the remainder of their allocations are restricted to the more-narrow guidelines of primarily water, sewer and broadband expansion established by the U.S. Treasury Of the $20.5 million in ARPA money coming to the county, the commission claimed $3, 207, 660 as revenue replacement dollars.

The commission previously allocated just over $3.4 million in ARPA dollars to fund sanitary sewer upgrades by the Morgantown Utility Board into the expanded portion of the industrial park.

According to Aman, any costs associated with the project beyond those being provided for by the commission would be paid through the TIF bonds funded by the bond holder, Enrout Properties.

Enrout Properties owns the Morgantown Industrial Park and is the developer of the Harmony Grove TIF.

Also on Wednesday, the commission welcomed Scott Finch as the county's new director of facilities as of July 5.

Finch, who comes to the county with more than 20 years of facility experience, primarily in the healthcare industry, will earn a monthly salary of $6, 250.

The commission also:

— Presented a resolution to DD Meighen, representing the Northern Appalachian Coal Mining Heritage Association, in support of establishing a Coal Heritage Trail and Coal Heritage Area that would include Barbour, Harrison, Marion, Monongalia, Preston and Taylor counties.

— Matched a $10, 000 grant from the Marion County Commission to the Upper Monongahela River Association for operation of the Hildebrand and Opekiska locks.