MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Monongalia County’s Courthouse Square is once again open for everyone.
About one year of renovations officially concluded with a new Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) accessible entrance to the Courthouse, a wide open space, a design of the Monongahela River running through the square, an updated war memorial, and a renovated statue.
“You look at what the County has done with the Sheriff’s building, the Justice building, and now this courthouse square,” Commission President Tom Bloom said. “It is already paying dividends.”
Bloom said these type of investments send a message to outsiders; that Monongalia County cares about perception.
“We’ve already had an individual who said he invested down here several million dollars because he liked the direction we’re going,” Bloom said.
Bloom said perception is everything — particularly to those who may one day invest in the area.
“One of the things we needed to do, besides make it ADA accessible, was to show prospective business owners who were coming down here that we take care of our property,” he said.
The final project, which included work by March Westin and local artists, came to about 2.1 million dollars — or five percent under budget.
“The river’s nice, but I love the lights on the railings,” Bloom said. “Because when you come down here it just immediately… I come from Philadelphia where you have the Philadelphia boat houses lit up — that’s what this is.”
Construction began May 2017.