MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Contractors working with the Morgantown Utility Board (MUB) projects appear to have been affected by the recent winter weather.

MUB General Manager Mike McNulty offered updates on the Cheat Lake Waste Water Treatment Plant (WWTP) project and the Westridge/Chaplin Hill Water and Sewer infrastructure project to the MUB Board of Directors during their regular meeting Tuesday, where he stated both multimillion-dollar projects have been delayed due to the winter weather to start the new year. This was announced in response to below-freezing temperatures and snowstorms that have taken place in the Morgantown area since the start of the new year.

“They’ve already mobilized some equipment to the job site (for the Cheat Lake WWTP), progress is being made, and then it snowed,” said McNulty regarding the progress of MUB-related projects. “I think that it’s only not snowed for one day this year,” he said.

Delays related to the work on the Cheat Lake Wastewater Treatment Plant upgrades began about a week before Tuesday’s meeting, shortly after equipment was brought in to start the approximately $46 million worth of work. According to McNulty, construction firm Mele & Mele & Sons, who was selected by MUB to complete upgrades to the plant that range from pumping systems to UV disinfection, already completed pre-construction meetings and began site preparation before weather prevented further progress. This is expected to be ongoing until warmer weather returns to the Morgantown area.

“I think they’ve (Mele & Mele & Sons) established temporary construction entrances,” said McNulty regarding where things stood with the Sheat Lake WWTP project before the weather delay. “The West Virginia Department of Natural Resources has (also) approved the spawning waiver for work to begin on the Kelly Run relocation,” he said.

The large-scale Westridge/Chaplin Hill Water and Sewer infrastructure project has also been delayed due to the sub-freezing temperatures seen in the Morgantown area since the start of the year. The over $14 million worth of work, being completed by Bear Contracting, includes a water system overhaul, the installation of sewer lines, and upgrades to the Chaplin Hill water storage facilities, with progress being seen on pipe installation before the weather delays. According to McNulty, work on the new Chaplin Hill transfer station and water storage facilities is the next phase of the project that will be addressed once temperatures increase in January.

“For Bear Contracting, they’ve installed a 16-inch suction and discharge line for the new Chaplin booster station, and they’re working on the piping around the booster station,” said McNulty on progress related to the Westridge/Chaplin Hill project. “We’re anticipating the building subcontractor to start in January, weather permitting,” he said.

Anderson Excavating is also working on the project with a focus on upgrades to the Chaplin Hill sanitary sewer system.

McNulty also told the MUB board that the delays for both projects are expected to be short term, with construction expected to resume once the weather warms up. The MUB board was also informed that the majority of the pipeline that connects the Westridge Business Park to Chaplin Hill has been installed as part of that respective project, and plans to start work on the Cheat Lake Waste Water Treatment Plant project by early 2025 are still in sight for MUB. This is also separate from the Monongahela River Directional Drill Water Line Project, which is also on track for a 2025 contract bid. While work is expected to resume as soon as weather allows it, McNulty advises MUB and area residents to not see much action in the coming days based on weather forecasts.

“The weather has postponed the drilling underneath the Mon River (Anderson Excavating’s work around Chaplin Hill) for the new force main, it’s just too cold right now to do that,” said McNulty. “So they’ll just have to wait for the warmer temperatures, so right now January is not looking good, unless we have a good warmup,” he said.

MUB also approved an approximately $127,000 contract with Green River Group to install approximately 1,300 feet of 8-inch gravity sewer line along Jo Glenn Drive in Cheat Lake during Tuesday’s meeting. Work is expected to be completed by the end of 2025.

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