KINGWOOD — The Preston County office of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) could be moving into a new, modern building in October.
The building, made of precast concrete, is being built by Jennings Legacy Builders LLC and is located at 75 James Preston Place in Kingwood, behind Auto Zone, off W.Va. 7.
D.R. “Buck” Jennings, owner of Jennings Legacy Builders, said the 8,000- square-foot building will be one story and constructed on the order of the Preston 911 center.
He said the USDA will be leasing 2,600 square feet of office space from him. Jennings said that will leave room for two or three other businesses, depending on their size.
Jennings said the combined walls weigh 400,000 pounds. He said the strength of precast concrete buildings cannot be matched by contemporary buildings.
“It’s waterproof, fireproof, you don’t have to worry about wind, and it’s very low maintenance,” Jennings said.
“We’re shooting for zero maintenance,” he said. “We’re using PVC trim outside so we won’t have to paint.”
He said while they are constructing the building, he and his crew are also working around an enormous maple tree.
“I want to have someone come in and determine its age,” Jennings said. “It’s about 75 feet tall and 15-foot-3-inches in circumference.”
He would also like some advice about how to trim the tree without harming it.
“You wouldn’t believe how hard it is to work around it,” Jennings said.
Kingwood Mayor Jean Guillot said he was pleased to see a new building that offers space for businesses go up in that location.
“It’s a good location for a business,” he said. “It had an old dilapidated building on it and [Jennings] came in and cleaned it up. Now there’s a new building with space for several businesses.”
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