MORGANTOWN — Preliminary discussions are underway that would allow the Star City Police Department to move into space in the former 84 Lumber building owned by the Morgantown Utility Board.
The building, located on Frontier Street next to MUB’s wastewater treatment facility, was purchased by the utility, along with 2.5 acres, for $1.6 million in May of 2017 to help facilitate the plant expansion project and allow for future growth.
MUB General Manager Mike McNulty said he’s been working with Star City Police Chief Jessica Colebank and has explained that MUB can only lease the space to the town.
“If the time comes that MUB would need that property, whatever improvements were made are just going by the wayside. We have no timetable, but that purchase was made for the community when the time comes that Star City [plant] does have to be expanded,” McNulty said
McNulty went on to say MUB would be able to provide Star City at least a year’s notice of any pending project to address the plant, which has just undergone a $100 million upgrade and expansion.
“The benefit to MUB is we have a neighbor to keep their eye on things and they are police officers, which makes it even a better neighbor to keep things safe,” McNulty said. “There is ample parking. We have a lot of room so it doesn’t make sense not to share what we can.”
MUB Chair J.T. Straface said the situation is similar to what MUB is doing in the city of Morgantown with the former Dinsmore Tire property, at 195 Don Knotts Blvd.
MUB purchased that 1.26 acre property for $743,000 in 2019 to allow for the future expansion of its water treatment facility, located next door at 171 Don Knotts Blvd.
Until that expansion is needed, however, MUB has indicated it is willing to discuss the use of that land as additional recreational access along the city’s riverfront.
In May, MUB was awarded a $500,000 Brownfields grant to assist with the cleanup of the old Dinsmore site.
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