Fire Company land deal is postponed
The Morgan County School Board tabled the sale of the property known as “The Grove” to the Great Cacapon Volunteer Fire Company until their January 17 meeting. The fire company had requested the land exchange so they could build a new fire hall.
The school board postponed their action on the motion at their December 20 meeting because they wanted to insert additional language into the land agreement.
The additions would state that if the fire company disbands or abandons the property, the land would revert back to the school board.
If the fire department decided to sell the property, the school board also wanted it specified that they would have first dibs to purchase it back for the $10 price for which they are selling it to the fire company.
The additional wording would also shift any liability on the school board for use of the property over to the fire department
The school board discussed changing the number of years they would give the fire company to build their new fire hall facility on the land, but left it at five years.
The stipulation was that the fire department would have to show progress in constructing the building within five years time or the property would revert back to the school board.
The revised contract will have the additional language inserted and will be presented for a vote at the January 17 meeting.
Watershed agreement
The Morgan County School Board approved payment of $1,000 for 2011-2012 toward the operation, maintenance and repair of the eight Warm Springs Run Earthen Flood Control Dams.
The board decided that they wanted the payment agreement to be a year by year request so they didn’t commit future boards to it.
President Laura Smith said she saw the value of keeping the dam maintenance arrangements. Kate Lehman from the Warm Springs Run Watershed Association said that the agreement had been in place for more than 50 years.
The Eastern Panhandle Conservation District/West Virginia Conservation Agency provide $1,000 in matching funds.
Parks & Rec vacancy
The school board is looking for someone to fill a vacancy on the Morgan County Parks & Recreation Board to represent the school system. School board member Aaron Close said that Parks & Recreation member Steve Unger is moving away.
Close and Bryan Heironimus are the other school representatives on the Parks & Recreation Board.
If interested in being considered for the Parks & Recreation board vacancy, contact the school board office or a school board member. The board will conduct interviews of possible candidates before making their selection.
The Parks & Recreation Board meets the 3rd Wednesday of every month at 7 p.m. at the Morgan County Rescue Squad building.
Student trips
A bus trip for Pleasant View Elementary third, fourth and fifth graders to the Baltimore Aquarium on May 10 was approved. Funding will come from a school allocation.
A trip for 43 Berkeley Springs High School students from Ron Bittinger’s economics class to New York City on April 26 was okayed. The class business profits will fund their trip.
A bus trip for 101 Berkeley Springs High School civics students to Washington, D.C. on April 19 was also approved. The funding was student-related.
The school board stipulated that if the Occupy protests were still going on that the bus trips should stay away from the protest sites.
Other
The school board declared three Morgan County School buses as surplus property and is advertising them for sale. Bus #156 is a 1997 International Blue Bird bus with 127,000 miles. Bus #160 and #161 are both 1999 International Blue Bird buses. The first has 134,000 miles on it and the latter has 135,000 miles.
