Brooke Commission approves contribution to highway authority
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WELLSBURG - Brooke County commissioners moved forward with their annual contribution to the West Virginia Route 2/I-68 Authority, Tuesday, but not without pushback from a few residents who see it as a waste of taxpayer funds.
After being tabled for the last two weeks, commissioners unanimously agreed to contribute $4,000 toward the non-profit group, established by the West Virginia Legislature in 1997 to promote and endorse opportunities to improve and expand state Route 2 and Interstate 68 through a 10-county region.
Authority Executive Director Robert Miller and Brooke County representative Duane Heck attended Tuesday’s commission meeting to discuss some of their efforts and ongoing projects.
Miller explained the authority does request a yearly contribution of $4,000 from each of its 10 member counties to assist with its costs, noting, while the Legislature created the group, the state no longer provides any direct financial support.
"It’s not required, but it is requested," Miller said, adding not every county contributes the full $4,000 each year.
While the authority is not tasked with funding the projects themselves, the money it receives is used to cover expenses including travel and lobbying efforts.
Current projects include expansion efforts north of Parkersburg and in Wetzel and Marshall counties, but Heck noted the authority has been involved in the promotion of the New Cumberland bypass project, the widening of Route 2 between Weirton and Follansbee, and potential improvements to the intersection of Route 2 and Washington Pike.
Potential future projects include widening Route 2 in southern areas of Brooke County.
"Those are still on our minds," Heck said.
Resident Mary Blum was among those taking issue with the contribution, feeling there hasn’t been much return on the investment.
"This has been going on for 30 years," Blum said. "Nothing has been done in Brooke County."
Resident Margaret Ferrari agreed.
"Our money is going out, but we’re not seeing any results," she said.
The commissioners, while understanding the concern, noted such road projects, of any scale, take time to develop.
"It does get frustrating," said Commissioner Stacey Wise. "The projects these committees work on take many years."
Wise also noted the authority is made up of volunteers, with two representatives for each participating county.
Commission President Tom Diserio stressed the importance of their lobbying efforts in Charleston and Washington, D.C., noting, without such work, the road projects are forgotten.
"That’s the whole point of these types of boards," Diserio said. "We won’t be successful at all if we don’t have groups pushing for it."
Larry Swanson, a member of Wellsburg Council, requested regular reports from the authority, to keep Brooke County residents more informed of its activities.
"We’re the ones that appear to be paying the most," he said, referring to information from Miller that not every county provides a full $4,000 contribution.
The Route 2/I-68 Authority meets quarterly in New Martinsville. Its next meeting is scheduled for October.
(Howell can be contacted at chowell@weirtondailytimes.com)