Commission to review cosponsor agreement, focus on trailhead remediation before larger project work

Morgan County commissioners on June 4 agreed to take additional time to review a cosponsor agreement tied to trail funding and to return the item to a future agenda after further staff review.

The commission spent the bulk of the discussion on clarifying the scope of the cosponsor relationship and the immediate need to remediate the depot lot—the parcel that must be addressed before other trail-design or construction work can proceed.

Commissioner Forte said the county should “get the engineer on board immediately” once the state loosens fund restrictions so the county can move to design and remediation work. Commissioners repeatedly cautioned that the current documents included multiple attachments and required more review before the county signs a cosponsor agreement. Commissioner Forte and others asked that Berkeley Springs be included in project discussions so the town can provide input even if it is not an equal decision-maker under the agreement.

Commissioners noted the trail project is using previously awarded trail grant funds (“trail money”) and warned that drawing more upfront on those funds could create a shortfall later in the overall project. One commissioner recounted a past $125,000 match check the county wrote years ago and said cost- and scope-management remain concerns.

No formal motion to approve the cosponsor agreement was taken; the commission agreed to place the cosponsor agreement back on a future agenda after commissioners and staff have time to review the multiple attached documents.

The county also discussed the sequencing of work: remediating the depot lot first, then issuing an RFQ for an engineer to design the trailhead and subsequent trail segments. Commissioners said the state is holding grant funds until the cosponsor paperwork is settled, and that securing the paperwork will allow the county to begin contracting design work.

The commission did not adopt or sign the cosponsor agreement at the meeting. Commissioners asked that staff return a single, consolidated package and recommended a brief follow-up discussion before any action is taken.