Downtown observations (Morgantown, Man: hotel, big home, college)
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I visited Morgantown for the first time in 5 years (having attended WVU in the early 2000s) . I used to live on High Street as a student so decided to stay in Hotel Morgan while there. I walked about 10 miles during my stay, all the way over to Evansdale and back, so I'd got a pretty good perspective on the town. I was impressed by the sheer amount of development, especially around sunnyside and some of the new outlier shopping centers. What surprised me, however, was how bad the downtown area appeared to be. The only retail establishments left were mostly bars/restaurants (gone are any sort of clothing stores or other things). What really shocked me was the number of extremely aggressive strung out looking homeless people all over the place. Once 10PM rolled around, there were plenty of students out at the bars, but during the day the only people on High Street were homeless. I don't recall the situation being that dire while I was a student (in fact, I knew and recognized the handful of homeless regulars such as Sombrero man), but it seems like they've really taken over.
So I'm asking on this forum for a local's perspective. Has something changed in recent years? The only thing I can imagine is that all of the new shopping centers have sort of drained downtown of anything but drinking establishments, so there's simply not a daytime crowd anymore. In addition, I've watched my hometown in Virginia get flooded with homeless in the last decade as they've created legal protections for them which has encouraged a traveling crowd to migrate there. I'm wondering if Morgantown has done the same? Anyways, long story short, just looking for people to chime in and provide their thoughts.
One other thing.. Hotel Morgan has fallen on hard times and is pretty bad at this point. The front desk staff told me it was recently sold and will go under new management at the end of August. I'm hopeful that they put some money into it, because it's in rough shape. Both the lobby and rooftop restaurants are permanently closed.
The issue with downtown is accessibility. It's not easy to get to. Traffic is awful. And it's not easy to find parking. Downtown Morgantown really will never have prevalent shopping again. It is what it is.
And as long as the Bartlett House is located downtown, it will always have high visibility homeless. Plus there's really no where else in town for them to go. The rail trail in that location is pretty bad as well
So I'm asking on this forum for a local's perspective. Has something changed in recent years? The only thing I can imagine is that all of the new shopping centers have sort of drained downtown of anything but drinking establishments, so there's simply not a daytime crowd anymore. In addition, I've watched my hometown in Virginia get flooded with homeless in the last decade as they've created legal protections for them which has encouraged a traveling crowd to migrate there. I'm wondering if Morgantown has done the same? Anyways, long story short, just looking for people to chime in and provide their thoughts.
The problem has increased dramatically. This is well talked about here. Maybe not on this board but on local Facebook pages it's a contentious issue.
Numerous factors contribute to this. When you were here in the early 2000s we still had a county jail off of High Street located right behind the courthouse. Many of the drunks and troublemakers were picked up back then. Around that time or at some point in the mid 2000's (I would have to look up the year) the state switched to a regional jail model. Due to the transport costs and paperwork it would appear vagrancy and drunkenness are now ignored. I am frequently downtown for work and have seen worse things like open drug use and needles on the ground. Parts of the rail trails are used as homeless camps. I had to quit walking my dog there for safety reasons.
Morgantown has a large amount of services offered for the homeless. Unfortunately, this is being taken advantage of by people traveling here from all over the east coast who seek Mgtn out for these services. Many of these people are drifters and transients and not our local homeless anyway. I see this first hand.
There is much division in Mgtn about this issue. People who bring up the problem are frequently accused of not being sympathetic enough. Even when it is pointed out that many here are more than willing to help out our locals. However, we simply don't have the resources to save the world (heck, we can't afford to fix the potholes in this state). We are then told it doesn't matter where they are from - they are human beings too. <sigh> I have witnessed this circular argument for years now.
So...the latest idea is to build an even bigger shelter at the Ramada Inn site and offer 1400 beds. I feel it will just attract more outsiders and still will not help the problem with drifters congregating downtown. https://www.wboy.com/news/local/mono...-homelessness/
The issue with downtown is accessibility. It's not easy to get to. Traffic is awful. And it's not easy to find parking. Downtown Morgantown really will never have prevalent shopping again. It is what it is.
And as long as the Bartlett House is located downtown, it will always have high visibility homeless. Plus there's really no where else in town for them to go. The rail trail in that location is pretty bad as well
Accessibility is an issue but let's be honest. A lot of the demographic that could pay downtown prices and shop 9-5 doesn't want to go down there now because of the meth head crowd. There are way more homeless drug addicts downtown than there were 5-10 years ago. They are not the same friendly crew they used to be. No one with the disposable income to shop down there wants to go anymore. Same for water front park area. Families don't really feel welcome there anymore.
And the Morgantown city government has not done anything to fix it and they won't. In fact, they incentivize it.
The problem has increased dramatically. This is well talked about here. Maybe not on this board but on local Facebook pages it's a contentious issue.
Numerous factors contribute to this. When you were here in the early 2000s we still had a county jail off of High Street located right behind the courthouse. Many of the drunks and troublemakers were picked up back then. Around that time or at some point in the mid 2000's (I would have to look up the year) the state switched to a regional jail model. Due to the transport costs and paperwork it would appear vagrancy and drunkenness are now ignored. I am frequently downtown for work and have seen worse things like open drug use and needles on the ground. Parts of the rail trails are used as homeless camps. I had to quit walking my dog there for safety reasons.
Morgantown has a large amount of services offered for the homeless. Unfortunately, this is being taken advantage of by people traveling here from all over the east coast who seek Mgtn out for these services. Many of these people are drifters and transients and not our local homeless anyway. I see this first hand.
There is much division in Mgtn about this issue. People who bring up the problem are frequently accused of not being sympathetic enough. Even when it is pointed out that many here are more than willing to help out our locals. However, we simply don't have the resources to save the world (heck, we can't afford to fix the potholes in this state). We are then told it doesn't matter where they are from - they are human beings too. <sigh> I have witnessed this circular argument for years now.
So...the latest idea is to build an even bigger shelter at the Ramada Inn site and offer 1400 beds. I feel it will just attract more outsiders and still will not help the problem with drifters congregating downtown. https://www.wboy.com/news/local/mono...-homelessness/
Just a micro-example of what has happened in once nice places like San Francisco. I hate to get political but I'm gonna do it....this ability to turn a municipality into an unlivable craphole is one reason why I left that party. Morgantown is now a dump. Pure and simple. I'm all for helping out the local homeless population but this invasion takes away the services we used to be able to offer them, and nearly every public space in Morgantown is ruined.
It's really bad around the intersection of Pleasant & High Streets. The city needs to clean it up ASAP. They scare away customers, cause a scene, and are bad for public health.
Agree with all of the above. City council time and time again have done everything to stifle residential development of the downtown area because of the old money interest. Meanwhile they do nothing to stop the Bartlett House from expanding or adding new beds. Downtown is basically a big homeless refuge at this point. The Bartlett House is a big business with each bed comes more money from government. Then on top of that you have Christian Help handing out clothes, Health Right handing out needles, the church proving Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner, Salvation Army Breakfast Lunch and Dinner. Building serving as a "living room" and the thanks the residents get is being accosted for money, physically threatened, pissed on store fronts, people defecating on the streets, dirty needles, increased theft, a bludgeoning to death of a halfway house room mate, a shooting in a parking lot, both of those incidents by out of state homeless. Its an unmitigated disaster that needs to be addressed but this council doesn't have a clue as to how to address these issues.
Agree with all of the above. City council time and time again have done everything to stifle residential development of the downtown area because of the old money interest. Meanwhile they do nothing to stop the Bartlett House from expanding or adding new beds. Downtown is basically a big homeless refuge at this point. The Bartlett House is a big business with each bed comes more money from government. Then on top of that you have Christian Help handing out clothes, Health Right handing out needles, the church proving Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner, Salvation Army Breakfast Lunch and Dinner. Building serving as a "living room" and the thanks the residents get is being accosted for money, physically threatened, pissed on store fronts, people defecating on the streets, dirty needles, increased theft, a bludgeoning to death of a halfway house room mate, a shooting in a parking lot, both of those incidents by out of state homeless. Its an unmitigated disaster that needs to be addressed but this council doesn't have a clue as to how to address these issues.
After using all of those services, they proceed to squat on High Street during the evenings to sponge money off of drunk college students.
I've had friends that have been harassed by the bums that lurk around the railtrail & Decker's Creek area. It's a ticking time bomb.
The problem with the downtown area is that no one is forcing it to be a destination. To do so would require major rerouting of traffic. Some genius decided 2 lane roads should become 3 lane roads. That genius should be run out of town.
If the traffic issue were eased and sidewalks widened (one street one way, another the opposite) to make walking enjoyable and have street art and sidewalk cafes, downtown Morgantown could be a great small town downtown destination city.
But it won't and it will continue to deteriorate because the car is king.
I remember being skeptical of going near the cue/dollar general after the shooting a couple years back. Something needs to be done bc the street has potential.
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