Kate Shunney

Morgan County officials recently awarded a contract to a Harrisonburg, Va. company to supply and install three back-up power sources for Morgan County's 911 operations.

Power Connection, Inc. will perform the electrical work under the contract.

During recent discussions, the Morgan County Commissioners opted to leave the county's Excessive Noise Ordinance as it is.

County officials had considered amending the rules to allow daytime enforcement of the nuisance rules after a Sir Johns Run resident complained that his Mother's Day weekend was ruined by mid-day concerts at the Triple B Arena.

Morgan County residents are being invited to address an important question about the county's future.

The question is how land in the county can best be used, and how county officials can balance individual rights and the greater needs of the community.

Less than half of Morgan County's courthouse fund has been spent so far, but Milestone Construction Services is closing in on the middle of its contract timeline to complete the $10.5 million public building.

County officials have paid out nearly $3.5 million of that contract so far.

Some homeowners in the Prospect Peak development are so opposed to plans for a county 911 tower near their homes that they have offered to buy the tower site from the county.

Part-time resident Robert Sloan has conveyed his concerns about construction of a 200-300 ft. tower to the Morgan County Commis-sioners by letter earlier this year.

Irene Weber is a woman who uses the word "commitment" a lot. It peppers her conversation on a variety of topics. It's a principle she lives by and one she measures in others.

For 41 years, the Morgan County resident's commitment to civic values and young people has driven her to volunteer at the annual Rhododendron Girls State, a program run by the American Legion Auxiliary. At Girls State, rising high school seniors learn how their government works and what is required of them as responsible citizens.

Morgan County's law restricting the location of adult entertainment businesses was re-authorized by county officials last Thursday, July 9. The law, which was originally adopted in 2004, was the subject of legal challenges in Berkeley County last year.

Recently, state legislators modified the law that gives counties the power to regulate exotic entertainment establishments. Law now allows any county with a Planning Commission to write and adopt such rules on the approval of their County Commissions.

Following a flare-up over the wording of meeting minutes from June 25, the Morgan County Commissioners put the matter to rest last Thursday by approving modified minutes on a motion by Commissioner Tommy Swaim.

Commission President Brenda Hutchinson said she listened to the tape recording of the June 25 meeting before including wording suggested by Swaim regarding the county's membership in the West Virginia Association of Counties.

Morgan County government ended the 2009 fiscal year with a total carryover of $451,906, according to the County Clerk's office. Of that surplus, $150,000 is earmarked as carryover in the 2010 budget.

The county commissioners met on June 26 to discuss how a projected carryover would be distributed or spent in the new budget year.

The Carl M. Freeman Companies are once again seeking a permit to build and operate a sewer system for an estimated 5,500 people at the planned Coolfont Village in Cold Run Valley.

Freeman bought the 800-acre former Coolfont Resort for $7.8 million in November 2005. The company has been discussing plans for a community of retirement and vacation homes since then.