News Articles

At their Monday, April 2 meeting, Mayor Susan Webster read the Bath Town Council a letter that she received from State Transportation Secretary Paul Mattox replying to her letter requesting that the resurfacing of Wilkes Street remain on the state's schedule.

Mattox wrote that the Wilkes Street project was scheduled to start July 2007 and continue through the end of the year. This is the project to resurface the portion of Wilkes Street from Fairfax Street to Rt. 9 West.

The Morgan County Commissioners unanimously passed a noise nuisance ordinance at their Friday, April 6 meeting. The ordinance takes effect on May 1.

Before the vote, Commission President Glen Stotler suggested several minor changes to the proposed county law, and asked Commissioners Tommy Swaim and Brenda Hutchinson for their comments.

As part of the overall effort to keep Maryland's bridges safe and in good condition, the Maryland Department of Transportation's State Highway Administration (SHA) will begin next week a $3.4 million bridge cleaning and painting project to maintain the US 522 (Warfordsburg Road) bridge over the Potomac River, C & O Canal and the CSX Tracks in Hancock, Washington County. The project should be completed by fall 2008, weather permitting.

Scheduled work includes painting the bridge superstructure (the steel beams that support the road surface on the bridge). Paint containment systems will be in place to prevent paint spray and dripping.

The Morgan County School Board set their tax rate for the next fiscal year at a special budget workshop last Tuesday, March 27,

In the absence of board member Larry Omps, the board voted 4-0 to keep their excess levy rate at 90%.

An old scam perpetrated by con artists — commonly known as "Blacktop Gypsies" — has hit the area once again.

Both the West Virginia State Police and Morgan County Sheriff's Department report that they have fielded several complaints recently.

Work has begun on the Berkeley Springs wastewater treatment plant upgrades, along US 522, north of town.

Portions of the new treatment units will be built in the first phase while maintaining the ability to continue to provide proper water treatment with the existing processes. Phase 1 will then be put into service while most of the existing plant is demolished. The remainder of the new plant can then be constructed. All this work must take place within the existing site due to sensitive habitat bordering the plant.

The Morgan County Commission will vote to approve a noise-nuisance ordinance this Friday at 10:30 a.m. The purpose of the ordinance is to stop excessive residential noise where such noise is deemed a public nuisance.

A public hearing was held on Friday, March 23 regarding two ordinances from neighboring counties that had been adapted for Morgan County. A Berkeley County ordinance was reviewed that addressed barking dogs as a public nuisance. A Jefferson County ordinance that tackled excessive residential noise as a public nuisance was also discussed.

The 2007 Health Olympics got underway on Sunday, April 1. The free two-month program is designed to help increase health and fitness and runs through May 31.

Health Olympics participants will choose a weight loss goal of up to 10 pounds. They will commit to fitness goals of exercising at least 30 minutes daily, cutting 200 calories from their diet and avoiding their worst health habit. Participants will keep track of their daily progress in meeting these goals over the months of April and May.

The Morgan County Rural Water Committee recommended a phased approach for developing public water supply systems in three priority regions in the county. A system of wells was determined to be the best option for supplying water in each region.

Engineers George Kansas and Aaron Keno of Gannett Fleming of Fairfax, Virginia presented the findings of the Morgan County Water Resources Study to the Morgan County Commissioners at their Friday, March 23 meeting.

An ordinance amending the current town snow removal law was passed unanimously by Bath Town Council at the March 19 meeting.

Ordinance 2007-02 amends the town code by adding set fees for violations.