Latest news with #TAPGrant
Dominion Post
6 days ago
- Business
- Dominion Post
City looking at Chestnut, Spruce for 'streetscape' improvements
MORGANTOWN — High Street received a streetscape makeover in 2013. Pleasant Street got spruced up in 2023. Walnut Street – at least a block of it – will, presumably, have a new look to show off at some point this year. So, what's next? Based on the Department of Transportation TAP (Transportation Alternatives Program) Grant applications approved this week by Morgantown City Council, likely Chestnut Street, then Spruce. In October, the city learned it was the recipient of a $180,000 TAP Grant to design pedestrian improvements for Chestnut Street. Now, the city is going back to the well, seeking $1.55 million to construct at least a portion of the project. If awarded, the city would be required to provide a 20% match, totalling $310,000. The street runs roughly 2,100 feet between Foundry and Willey streets. It's one of five streets that make up the one-way grid in the city's downtown. While the city concedes the work will likely need to be approached in phases, the ultimate goal is to address the entirety of Chestnut Street with new sidewalks/ADA infrastructure, lighting and appropriate landscaping. According to information provided in council's latest agenda packet, 'The project will also consider the addition of adding road markings or sharrows on Chestnut Street, which will enable cars and bicycles to share the street.' Moving up a couple blocks, the city is once again seeking assistance kicking off a revisioning of Spruce Street — this time in the form of a $450,000 TAP Grant. The city notes, 'The design concept will include all new sidewalks, improvement for ADA infrastructure, new lighting, and appropriate landscaping as well. The city will conduct research on an optimal streetscape plan for the possibility of converting one of the lanes for strict bicycle usage.' Like all TAP Grants, the city would be on the hook for a 20% local match, totaling $90,000, if awarded. Assistant City Manager Emily Muzzarelli previously said that once streetscape enhancements on Pleasant, Walnut and Chestnut streets were complete, it would likely be time to circle back to High Street once again. Lastly, the city is continuing to push for pedestrian enhancements serving the Morgantown Municipal Airport, requesting a $380,000 TAP Grant to design the Morgantown Municipal Airport Bike Path and Walking Trail Connector — a five-foot-wide pedestrian and bike path from the Sabraton Baptist Church on Sabraton Avenue to the West Virginia Land Trust walking trails off Hartman Run Road. That, in turn, would make way for a future connection to Hart Field Road. If fully awarded, the grant would require a $76,000 match.
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Ward 2's Matt Bentley is the first candidate to seek Hillsdale's mayoral office
HILLSDALE — Freshman politician Matt Bentley is the first candidate to announce his intention of seeking Hillsdale's top office as the race to find a new mayor this fall inches closer. Bentley, of the city's Ward 2, was elected to the council last November and took office and with five months experience, he is seeking to fill a void left in the city when Adam Stockford resigned from office Dec. 1, 2024, and moved to Camden Township. The Hillsdale Daily News interviewed Bentley on his positions and why he wants to run for mayor. These were his answers. Why did you get involved in local government to begin with? "My friend Joshua Paladino recruited me to run for councilman of Ward 2. I resisted for over a year. Why would anyone want to give up their private life for the stress of being on city council? But Josh is persuasive and unrelenting." Why did you decide to run for mayor? "I have been firmly against the TAP Grant/Road Diet/bike lanes from the moment I heard of it, as I know the people of Hillsdale are. I have been organizing and lobbying against it since December. The citizens were told that there would be a council vote sometime between the January 16th public hearing and the end of February. Feedback would be heard, adjustments could be made, and we could alter or end the process at any time. None of that happened. On February 4th, we received an email from Manager Mackie, that council's authorization to apply for the TAP Grant was not needed. There have been many such cases. Two weeks later I decided to run. Two weeks after that I filed the paperwork. Regardless of whether I become mayor or not, I will continue to fight against the bike lanes until 2027." What direction would you like the city to go if you're elected mayor this fall? "I am running for Mayor of Council. The specific name of the office may seem unimportant, but I would argue that the actual title does shed light on one of the reasons that I am running. I love Hillsdale. Hillsdale in many ways remains as it was forty years ago. Hillsdale doesn't need me as mayor. It doesn't need some grand vision of the future. It needs the roads to be repaired. Council and staff seem unable to provide serviceable roads. I am running to be Mayor of Council because City Council is where the dysfunction is." What skillsets/knowledge do you have that you believe will make you a great mayor? "I don't have any particular expertise in municipal matters. I've only been on council for five months. I don't have any delusions about being a Great Mayor — Hillsdale has a 'weak mayor system'. What I bring is the voice of the people of Hillsdale, because I am the people of Hillsdale, and I'm willing to fight to preserve the city which we were all blessed to inherit." — Contact Reporter Corey Murray at cmurray@ or follow him on X, formerly Twitter: @cmurrayHDN. This article originally appeared on Hillsdale Daily News: First candidate for Hillsdale mayor race this fall explains platform
