MORGANTOWN — With the exception of a two-year construction hiatus in the ’70s, Laidley Field (now University of Charleston Stadium at Laidley Field) has hosted the West Virginia High School State Track and Field Meet every year since 1944.
Monongalia County Commission President Tom Bloom said Wednesday that he believes that streak is about to come to an end.
Bloom and his fellow commissioners are part of a push to bring the state track meet to the Mylan Park Track & Field Complex, a $7 million facility that opened in 2018.
“I know we’ll do a better presentation than Laidley Field,” Bloom said, noting he attended the most-recent state meet in the historic Charleston facility. “We know what they do and what we’re going to be able to offer.”
According to Bloom, plans are in place to construct the seating necessary hold the state meet. The Mylan Park complex currently has seating for 2,000. It would need 3,500 spectator seats and 2,000 athlete/coaches seats to host the state meet.
“We now have proven that we can put the 4,000 seats in there. We have a design,” he said.
Commissioner Sean Sikora added that there is also a plan to create 1,000 additional parking spaces.
Further, Bloom noted, the Mylan Park Aquatic Center, located next door to the track facility, and the basketball courts in the newly expanded Hazel & J.W. Ruby Community Center will be available for athletes once their events are done or during downtime.
“So that’s just one of the things we’ll be able to do, plus some other special caveats we’ll be able to offer,” he said.
The local contingent is in the process of finalizing its application to the West Virginia Secondary School Activities Commission, which it must submit by November.
If selected, the venue would be under a four-year commitment to host the meet starting in 2024.
“We have such a mixture of people, from people who have been on the SSAC Executive Committee to local businesses, groups and agencies. Everyone is working together because we want to get that tournament here,” Bloom said. “We’re very excited.”
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