MORGANTOWN — The skeleton of the $4 million Monongalia County Extension Service and 4-H Center is taking shape in Mylan Park.
The building will be the future home of WVU Monongalia County Extension Services and the local West Virginia Department of Agriculture office, among others.
Monongalia County Commissioner Ed Hawkins said work will be prioritized toward space already spoken for.
According to Hawkins, the goal is to have the state agriculture personnel’s new digs completed by July 31.
After that, the space to be occupied by extension services will be finished.
The county is in talks with other potential tenants.
Officials initially hoped construction could be completed by the end of 2018.
“The weather, unfortunately, really took a toll,” Hawkins said, noting crews also had to do substantial work to get the site ready for construction. “But Lytle Construction is out there and they’re able to work now, and you’re seeing the progress. You can see the shape of the building and how big it actually is.”
According to The Dominion Post archive, the building will have more than 30,000 square-feet under roof as well as a 15,000-square-foot outdoor livestock area.
It will also feature an incubator, or test, kitchen, which will allow potential entrepreneurs to test the marketability of recipes without the need to invest in a full kitchen setup.
The building will be owned by the Mylan Park Foundation and leased to the county through a lease-purchase agreement. Once the terms of the lease expire, ownership of the building will move to the county.
The building is located near the Hazel and J.W. Ruby Community Center, where the Monongalia County Fair pavilion previously stood. The pavilion was moved to the other side of the community center parking lot.
Hawkins said the finished project will be a boon for extension services programs like 4-H.
“We’re looking to put the face of extension right here in Monongalia County,” he said.
