by Trish Rudder
Letters from Mayor Scott Merki to U.S. Senators Shelley Moore Capito and Joe Manchin in support of the Morgan County Commission’s request for federal funding were approved by the Bath Town Council on March 7.
Town Recorder Susan Webster, who drafted the letters, said she has been working with Morgan County Commissioner Bill Clark in support of a federal funding request for the North End Revitalization Project.
The Morgan County Commission (MCC) is applying for a federal grant of $2.7 million through the Morgan County Congressional Discretionary Fund to complete the trail head and recreation area.
Webster said the MCC will administer the grant which “is a real win for the Town of Bath.”
Since the town and the county have been partnering to build the North Berkeley Rail Trail, the grant would develop the trail head at the Berkeley Springs Train Depot and the surrounding property on the north end of Bath.
“We ask you to shepherd the Morgan County request through to our goal of revitalizing and developing an exciting gateway to our Wild and Wonderful State of West Virginia,” the letter states to both Capito and Manchin.
Commissioner Clark said on Monday that the commission applied for everything that is part of the project to complete the Depot trailhead and development hub at the North End.
“The amount requested would cover all that’s needed to complete the project,” Clark said.
