Town of Bath approves Streetscape parking study

February 09, 2008|By TRISH RUDDER

BERKELEY SPRINGS, W.Va. - A parking study that will cost the town $4,200 plus $7,350 in in-kind service was unanimously approved Friday by the Bath Town Council at a special town council meeting.

The study was requested by the Streetscape committee at Tuesday night's Bath Town Council meeting.

Larry Lower, a member of the Streetscape Committee, said the comprehensive parking study grant from the West Virginia Governor's Partnership Program is a 50-50 partnership, and the estimated grant total is $39,400.

The town is responsible for $19,700, and the $8,150 still needed would be secured from other organizations, such as the Berkeley Springs-Morgan County Chamber of Commerce, Lower said.

Lower said parking has been an issue even before the Streetscape project was a reality, and there is no money available in Streetscape grant funding.

David Crosby, the Town of Bath's Finance chair, said he never was comfortable with spending money, but understood the need for the study.

"We need parking areas to make the town safer," Crosby said. "We want to show the town the council is cooperating with the Streetscape committee volunteers."

Town of Bath Mayor Susan J. Webster said the project will be an "extensive study, and it's for the next fiscal year."

"This was well thought out by the council," Webster said. "It was not easy to commit to spending money on this."

The Town of Bath is the local government within Berkeley Springs.

|

|

|