MORGANTOWN — If all goes according to plan, significant improvements to the Morgantown Ice Arena will be complete by this time next year.
BOPARC took a step in that direction this week, opening bids from eight contractors vying to do the work.
The submittals were broken into three bids – the base bid, an alternate bid on an additional 2,000 square feet for two new party rooms and a Zamboni/mechanical area, and a roof contract that will be paid using a $520,000 grant through West Virginia’s Land and Water Conservation Fund.
Adding the three components together, the bid proposals ranged from just over $3.1 million to just over $4.1 million.
Omni Associates has a $355,400 contract with BOPARC to lead the project through completion. The firm will qualify the bids and present them to the recreation commissioners for consideration at an upcoming meeting.
“We were really pleased with the turnout and are extremely thankful to the contractors for their interest, engagement during the process and the highly competitive bids,” BOPARC Director Melissa Wiles said.
BOPARC has estimated the overall cost of the project at $3 million to $4 million.
Those numbers do not include roughly $400,000 to purchase a new chiller and dehumidification unit. Those purchases had to be made last December due to long delivery schedules.
The improvements will consist of upgraded mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems, a new building exterior, a new roof, an improved dasher board system, rubberized flooring and other ice-related amenities in addition to the installation of the new chiller and dehumidification systems..
The selected contractor will begin setting up for construction on Feb. 3. The project timeline includes completion of the roof replacement by early June with the main portion of the rink to be finished shortly thereafter. Overall completion is expected in late summer or early fall.
As reported, BOPARC decided to scale back its plans for the ice arena in 2023, scrapping a $15 million near total rebuild of the facility in favor of a smaller project focused primarily on community use.
In conjunction with that decision came news that Mylan Park was exploring its own ice arena more suited to competitive hockey.
Mylan Park Foundation President Ron Justice said that project is underway near the multi-purpose field in the park’s lower section.
“It’s going really well,” he said. “The foundations are going up. They’re doing the foundation work now. So, we’re still on schedule hopefully to deliver by October 1. We’re looking for more funding, obviously, but we’re moving the project forward.”
Justice confirmed the estimated cost of the facility is still in the $15 million to $17 million range.
