Park president asks counties to meet with board
WAYNESBURG – The president of the Mason-Dixon Historical Park asked the Greene County commissioners Thursday to meet with the Monongalia County, W.Va., commissioners and the existing park board before making any decisions about the future of the recreational area. William Hewitt said commissioners on either side of the state line have not notified the current board of any plans for the park. He said the board has been running the park well for the past 19 years, and if the park is turned over to another group, the effect will be detrimental to its future.
During Wednesday’s commissioners’ agenda meeting, director of recreation Jamie Scott proposed drafting a letter of support to the commissioners in Monongalia County on a joint venture for the park. The commissioners have proposed a new board with membership from both counties and are working to develop a plan for the park’s future development and management.
Hewitt said the original intent for the portion of the park located in Greene County was to develop some nature trails and primitive camping sites, but to maintain the overall natural beauty of the park. Many of the people who have worked to improve the park over the years have expressed their concern that plans for the county to develop baseball fields would ruin the park and could cause security issues.
“Greene County owns it, and you have the right to do with it what you want, but you should sit down with the board and talk this over,” Hewitt said. “The work of this board could be thrown out the window.”
He said the park did not receive funding from the Monongalia County commissioners last year after one commissioner in particular did not feel the park was making enough money. The park is not operated to generate profit, but to raise enough money to pay for improvements to facilities, Hewitt added.
“We are willing to work with you, but I don’t want to see people get hurt who put a lot of effort into this,” he said.
Commissioner Scott A. Blair said the people who live around the park on the West Virginia side want more influence in what goes on at the property that is near them. He said the perception among many people is that a select few make an overwhelming majority of the decisions about the park.
“I think perception in this case is reality,” Blair said, noting that Monongalia County controls most of the park’s assets.
He said Monongalia County has set aside a substantial portion of its budget on recreational activities, and Greene County, with its renewed focus on recreation, cannot make the strides that its counterpart in West Virginia has without working together.
Commission Chairman Dave Coder said the change in management will occur whether the Greene County commissioners sign on or not. He stressed to Hewitt that the letter of support, which the commissioners voted to approve, is not a permanent agreement of any kind, and the commissioners will meet with the board to gather more input on the subject.