MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Plans to improve the Morgantown Ice Arena and construction on the Marilla Park Aquatic Complex continue to move forward.
As part of an update on BOPARC capital improvement projects, BOAPRC Division Director of Marketing and Communications Bree Starsick announced that the plans to improve the Morgantown Ice Arena are moving forward with a bidding process schedule to begin this fall that will coincide with the completion of the new Marilla Park Aquatic Center. Starsick offered the update, which included crucial pieces of equipment arriving at the Morgantown Ice Arena with design development by the Omni Group scheduled to be complete ahead of a formal project bid that’s expected to take place within the next month.
“The remaining timeline for this project includes the bid period, the bid award, the contract, and then construction,” said Starsick. “And we have the construction estimated to start in February 2025,” she said.
The work on the Morgantown Ice Arena will include a complete overhaul and the installation of new equipment such as a new chiller, upgraded infrastructure systems (i.e., electrical systems, plumbing, etc.), along with a new roof, a new building exterior, and an improved dasher board system. According to Starsick, once the bid period ends in November, the bid award will be announced in December, with construction to begin in early 2025. The improvements, which have already had fencing installed around the facility to protect the chiller that arrived in the late summer, are expected to be seen throughout the winter, with plans to be completed sometime in fall 2025.
“Improvements are a new chiller, a new dehumidification unit, and an upgraded mechanical, electrical, and plumbing system,” Starsick said. “An improved dashboard system, rubberized flooring, and other ice-related amenities,” she said.
Prelimary estimates released in August have the work valued at approximately $3 million-$4 million.
Construction on the new Marilla Park Aquatic Center is expected to be completed within the next couple of months as well, which would complete an approximately $14.6 million project. According to Starsick, the final touches of the facility that will consist of two main buildings with a lazy river, a zero-grade entry pool, a spray-ground area, and water slides are expected to be completed by the end of September so it can be ready to welcome guests for the start of summer 2025. The work also includes a 40-parking-space expansion and what will be the new BOPARC administrative offices.
“Work at Marilla (Park Aquatic Complex) continues, and that is right on schedule, and we expect construction to be completed later this fall,” said Starsick. “I actually just saw a few updated pictures of the water slides they put in this week, and the lazy river is completed,” she said.
When both projects are completed, it will put a close to work that has taken place for close to five years and will either vastly improve or completely replace structures that have been a part of the BOPARC system for several decades. For the Morgantown Ice Arena, it will be one of the first major upgrades the facility has received since it opened in 1971, and for the Marilla Park Aquatic Center, it will replace the longtime-attended Marilla Park Pool, which was open for over 70 years. With more projects incoming for BOPARC, Starsick encourages residents and BOPARC attendees to keep track of what is being built around your local parks.
“You can find the layout of our acquatic center (and the Morgantown Ice Arena) on our website, which is boparc.org, by viewing that capital projects page,” said Starsick, on where the public can keep track of future plans for BOPARC. “And it will also show you all other existing capital projects and when they’re projected to be done,” she said.