by Trish Rudder
Secured by grant funding and leftover hotel/motel funds from the last fiscal year, the Town of Bath is at work building a new website with help from the design firm Lovely Pixels.
Councilwoman Mary Lynn Hickey, who heads up the Grants Committee for the town, said the project will be funded with $4,450 from an Appalachian Forest grant and $7,500 from leftover hotel/motel funds.
“There will be no direct financial obligation of Town Funds,” Hickey said in an email.
Mayor Scott Merki signed the contract with Lovely Pixels on January 21 at the Bath Town Council meeting.
Hickey said in an email on Monday that she and Councilman Greg Schene will be working with the design firm team.
Schene said on Saturday the site could be launched in six months. 
“The new website will feature content focused on local economic development, tourism, and community engagement, as well as initiatives to support our businesses and to improve the quality of life for the children, families and seniors we serve,” Schene said in an email.
He said the Bath Town Council is committed to supporting a thriving community through promoting and advocating for our local businesses, as well as celebratingBath’s valuable history.
Not only is the new site looking for entrepreneurs in search of an ideal location to launch a new business, it is geared to retirees looking for a peaceful and vibrant area to call home, Schene said.
The new website will also help visitors find the unique charm of the Town of Bath. It will also offer the ease of searching for information on the town’s government section of the new site.
To advance the town’s reputation as a premier travel destination in West Virginia, the town is collaborating with “key stakeholders” including the Morgan County Commission, Travel Berkeley Springs, the Morgan Arts Council and the local Chamber of Commerce, said town officials.
