MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Morgantown City Council has approved a $2,952,900 bid for extensive renovations to city hall. Commercial Bidders, Inc. was the successful low bidder and is expected to complete the work by the end of 2023.
Director of Engineering & Public Works, Damien Davis said much of the work in recent years has been infrastructure-related, but this renovation will include interior and exterior improvements on every floor of the building.
“We’ve put a new roof on the building, we’ve fixed the sidewalk out front, we’ve fix the facade of the building,” Davis said. “All things that you wonder where you spent your money because it all looks exactly the same, but this one is going to be different.”
The original plan included elevator improvements, but as inflation continued to eat at the value of the dollar that was taken from the original bid documents.
“But, we wanted to see where we were at after it went out for bid, and maybe add that on at a later date,” Davis said. “That’s something that can be done separate from the renovation.”
The work includes restoring historic finishes and windows, a new HVAC system and a complete rebuild of the first floor. City Council chambers will not be updated, but plans include an area dedicated to holding executive sessions in the office area next to the chambers.
“That whole wing on the side is going to be redone and will actually connect back through- council chambers behind there won’t be a dead end area now, it tie back through,” Davis said. ” We’ll renovate the offices back there for a space for council to have executive sessions in.”