Starting early for Christmas in Bath celebration

The Town of Bath Development Authority met on August 25 and discussed plans for this year’s Old Fashioned Christmas celebration.

“I think it is very important we keep it going,” CNB Bank President Tom Rokisky said of the celebration that was a success last Yule season.

The group also talked about economic development in town. Although the economic forecast has been bleak, Mayor Susan Webster pointed to some positive progress being made.

Webster noted the success of the water line replacement project that has reduced water loss in the town’s water system to just two percent and the partial lifting by the West Virginia Public Service Commission of the town’s water moratorium.

Webster said the continuation of the Streetscape project on Mercer Street is another sign of progress.

“Obtaining the CSX lot behind the Train Depot is taking longer than I ever thought it would,” Webster said. She said CSX has completed work on cleaning up the lot and is waiting for approval by the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection.

“We have had some progress, but on the other hand, I keep seeing more For Rent and For Sale signs in town,” she said.

As far as the organization of the Authority, Frank Subasic suggested the group take another look at the mission statement, formulated last year, to see if it still applies today.

Rokisky suggested getting local business owners together for a meeting to listen to their concerns and what they think needs to be done to address those concerns.

He said he would contact Chamber of Commerce President Mike Pearce about the possibility of scheduling a meeting.

Subasic said the town might consider supporting new jobs in the area by offering some kind of financial support to businesses for each new job created.

He said with the new Macy’s distribution center in Martinsburg and Evolve Composites opening up in the old Fleetwood building in Hancock, a county job fair might be useful.

“We should be helping companies and businesses get more successful,” Subasic said.

Rokisky said he was concerned about the economic impact if the Country Inn fails.

“We need to get together and talk about what is the future of our town,” Rokisky said.

A meeting of the Authority and local businesses to get the ball rolling on the Old Fashioned Christmas was scheduled for September 7, at 9 a.m. in the Municipal Center.