Monday’s Bridgeport City Council meeting will feature a pair of issues which have been in front of the governing body for quite some time.

 

First, Council members will hear a second and final reading of an ordinance, approving a price increase in a property purchase. That parcel of land – 5.50 acres situate on Route 131 within city limits – is being purchased from the Benedum Airport Authority. Mayor Andy Lang explained why the purchase price raised from $247,500 to $264,000.

 

“(Council) started this process of buying the property way before I became mayor. It dragged on so long that by the time the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) published it in the national register, time ran out on the appraisal,” Lang said. “It had to be reappraised and that bumped the price up a little bit.”

 

Once Council approves the new price, City Attorney Dean Ramsey will work with the airport authority to close the purchase. The property, situate just across 131 from the entrance to Bridgeport Recreation Complex, is tentatively to be used for storage and possibly overflow parking.

 

Also on the agenda is a discussion regarding funding of a Bridgeport Police Department position to be utilized by the Drug Enforcement Agency Tactical Diversion Squad.

 

That matter has also been under consideration by Council for more than a year, before Lang took the mayor’s seat. Monday will be the first time the issue has been discussed under his leadership. When he took the position in June of 2017, money had been appropriated for a match with Clarksburg Police Department for the funding of a DEA Tactical Diversion Squad position.

 

“For some reason, the DEA didn’t want to go in that direction,” Lang said. “There was an offer on the table and it was rejected by them, so it’s just been in limbo.”

 

It was Councilman Lowell Maxey, a former DEA agent, who asked that the issue be readdressed. He said he’s tried to keep Council up to date regarding the Tactical Diversion Squad’s work to fight the current opioid crisis.

 

“During the past several meetings, I’ve brought Council up to speed on what the DEA is doing to attack the problem and updated them on the stats with overdoses throughout the state and in our area,” Maxey said. “So, I’m just giving them another opportunity to reconcile funding of a Bridgeport Police Department position. I hope they’ll be supportive of funding the position and letting (Chief John Walker) go forward in assigning someone.”

 

At a recent Bridgeport City Council meeting, JT Scroggs, DEA group supervisor, DEA Tactical Diversion Squad, spoke during the public comment portion.

 

“He said the position is still available and he would like to move forward with Bridgeport’s participation,” Maxey said.

 

The final item on Monday’s agenda is to consider and act on authorizing Beth A. Fox, city engineer, as a voting delegate at the 32^nd Annual Business Meeting of the West Virginia Rural Water Association and authorizing Jared V. Cummons, superintendent of utilities, as Alternate Delegate 2.

 

A 6 p.m. work session will precede the 7 p.m. regular session to be held in Council Chambers at Bridgeport Municipal Building. Delivering the invocation will be the Rev. Benedict E. Kapa, All Saints Catholic Church.

 

Editor's Note: Pictured top/cover is the property located on Route 131 which the city is purchasing from the Benedum Airport Authority. Also pictured, from top, are Mayor Andy Lang, with Council members Lowell Maxey, Dustin Vincent, Jeff Smell and Bob Greer; John Wilson and Lowell Maxey in a recent work session.