MORGANTOWN — Normally talk of expansion involving the Morgantown Utility Board involves components like pipes and pump stations.
But a MUB project anticipated for 2024 will focus a little closer to home — the utility’s central office, located at 278 Green Bag Road.
During its most recent regular meeting, MUB leadership heard from David Snider of Omni Associates, who presented three preliminary floor plan options for a significant expansion of the building.
The current one-story structure is comprised of 1,660 square feet of basement space and 8,715 square feet on the main level. It was built in 1988 but has undergone multiple minor remodels over the last 25 years. Forty employees work out of the facility.
“We’re on top of each other,” MUB General Manager Mike McNulty said. “We’ve really run out of space.”
The options presented by Snider ranged in scope, starting at 4,470 square feet of additional room and going up.
The early favorite appears to be Option 1, a three-level renovation that would add 2,013 square feet to the basement, 4,246 square feet to the main floor and a new, 2,365 square foot second floor for a total of 8,625 square feet of additional space.
“I think Option 1 meets all the needs, really,” Snider said. “We talked about the future expansion. It meets that need as well.”
Along with the need for more room, Snider said the work flow in the existing building has become jumbled and inefficient as the building has been expanded and more people brought on board.
For example, the building has one set of restrooms located at one end of its long, rectangular footprint. Snider also pointed out that some departments, like engineering, are spread throughout the structure forcing employees to either pass through shared meeting space or the public lobby to access areas on the other end of the building.
Lastly, he said, the building needs some personality.
“You really don’t have a presence. If you drive down Green Bag Road, MUB doesn’t have a presence. The building just kind of sits back. The front of the building doesn’t face the street. Nobody really knows you’re here,” Snider said. “That’s something we’re trying to improve here as well.”
McNulty said there isn’t currently a set budget for the renovation project.
“Costs are being developed. I think after the board has their work session and puts in their comments, we’ll be able to look at that a little bit closer and nail those costs down,” he said.
Before the move to Green Bag Road, MUB’s offices were located on Foundry Street, in the building currently occupied by Andrew White Guitars.
TWEET @DominionPostWV
