David Abner

The Bath Town Council passed the first reading of an ordinance to raise water rates yet again at their Tuesday morning, March 17 meeting.

Ordinance 2009-04 sets new water rates above and beyond the recent increase mandated by the West Virginia Public Service Commission (PSC). The PSC-mandated rates will be reflected on the bill water customers receive in April.

Three pounds of marijuana and other drug paraphernalia were seized by Bath Police after a traffic stop for speeding on North Washington Street Wednesday night, March 11.

According to the criminal complaint filed in Magistrate Court, Patrolman D. M. Jenkins of the Bath Police Department was parked facing north on North Washington Street running radar at 9:38 p.m. when a car approached from the rear at a high rate of speed.

The Town of Bath Council is reminding all customers of the Berkeley Springs Water Works that a mandatory rate increase will be reflected on their next water bill. The water bills will be sent out on April 1.

A residential customer using the minimum of less than 6,000 gallons of water will see their bill increase from $55.80 to $80.70 per quarter.

A highway bypass of downtown Berkeley Springs doesn't appear to be in the works in the foreseeable future.

"Currently the U.S. 522 bypass is not listed in the Statewide Transportation Improvement Program for the period 2009 to 2014," wrote State Highways District Engineer J. Lee Thorne in response to The Morgan Messenger's requests for information.

Ten cadets from the Mountaineer Challenge Academy at Camp Dawson in Kingwood, Preston County, West Virginia cleaned up debris from a damaged pavilion and picked up litter and fallen branches behind the Veterans of Foreign War Post 4019 on Valley Road in southern Morgan County Monday morning, March 9.

The cadets, ages 16 – 19, were accompanied by Mountaineer Challenge Academy Admissions Counselor Russ Sterling and a group of mentors from the school.

Morgan County residents Rhoads Speck and Andy Jurick, 89 and 77 respectively, know something about scouting. After all, they have each been active in Boy Scouts of America for over 50 years.

Rhoads Speck

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act stimulus package passed by the U.S. Congress and signed by President Barack Obama on February 17 specified $1.38 billion in stimulus funds for West Virginia and estimated the money would create 20,000 new jobs.

How that money will be allocated is up to the state legislature, now meeting in Charleston, and Governor Joe Manchin.

The Town of Bath Train Station Committee agreed to seek a grant from the State Office of Development for a professional assessment of the condition of the train station. The decision was made at the Saturday, February 21 meeting.

Jim Bailey suggested a professional assessment should be the first step in the preservation or restoration of the building.

Mayor Susan Webster told the Town of Bath Council at their meeting Thursday, February 19 the water line replacement project scheduled to begin within the next six months should qualify for stimulus package funds.

Congress passed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act on February 17. The bill provides $81.7 million for water projects within West Virginia.

Long time area resident Julie Bishop opened a new store Monday, February 2 at 15 N. Washington Street in Berkeley Springs.

The Stop and Shop is a variety store featuring furniture, antiques, glassware, Dynasty Dolls, and many home d