HomeTop StoriesLombardi receives contract for ice arena, BOPARC looks for 'community forest'

Lombardi receives contract for ice arena, BOPARC looks for ‘community forest’

Dec. 12—MORGANTOWN — Lombardi, a general contractor based in Follansbee, has been selected to make improvements to the Morgantown Ice Arena.

The Board of Parks and Recreation Commissioners approved the company’s bid of $3,155,000 at its most recent regular meeting.

The selected proposal was the lowest of eight bids and consists of the main project ($1,910,000), an alternative bid for an additional 2,000 square meters to create two new banquet rooms and a Zamboni/mechanical room ($775,000) and the replacement of the roof of the building ($470,000).

The roof work will be paid for by a grant from the West Virginia Land and Water Conservation Fund.

The Morgantown Ice Arena began in 1978 as a canopy above an outdoor layer of ice.

These improvements include a new exterior and roof, upgraded mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems, an improved dashboard system, rubber floors and other ice-related features.

It also includes the installation of a new chiller and dehumidification unit, which had to be purchased about a year ago for $400,000 due to long delivery schedules.

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BOPARC Director Melissa Wiles said the chiller is on site and the dehumidification unit is expected to arrive within the next week or so.

Construction will begin in early February and be completed in late summer or fall of next year.

Commissioner Jenny Selin said the awarding of the ice arena contract caps off a banner year for recreation in Morgantown.

“This has been a very important year for BOPARC in putting our plans into action – submitting bids and paving the way not only for the ice rink project that we accepted tonight, but also to lower Marilla get it and get it ready to go, and “It’s obviously a credit to our board, our administration and our staff that we’ve gotten this far… It’s really taken us off the theory, we have these funds available.” – for the reality of having these projects completed.”

In other BOPARC news, recreation commissioners have approved an application to the national nonprofit Old-Growth Forest Network to designate the 14 forested acres between E. Brockway Avenue and White Avenue in upper Marilla Park as a “Community Forest.”

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Rick Landenberger, a science and land management specialist for the West Virginia Land Trust and a member of the Mon Valley Green Space Coalition, previously said the forest is in a kind of “Goldilocks zone” in terms of moisture levels and temperature, making it can develop. a complex, multi-layered canopy that provides habitat for a wide range of species.

He further said that there are trees in the forest that are almost 300 years old.

Wiles said she was able to walk through the forest with a representative from the Old-Growth Forest Network.

“It was really beautiful to see someone who goes all around the East Coast and looks at these woods and says, ‘Wow. This is a really nice place. You guys need to show that,'” she said, adding, “That we do too.’ We value green space as much as we value development, and we want that space to be noticed, visited and used by our customers.”

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While the “Community Forest” designation draws attention to the forest as a vital asset, it does not prevent future development of that area should the City choose to do so.

‘It’s paying attention [the forest ] more than anything. “I’m not legally sure you would be able to stop future plans to any great extent,” said attorney Matt Elshiaty. say: ‘You cannot develop here.'”

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