MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — A Pennsylvania-based business is looking to bring riverboats to the Monongahela River.
Access H2O will provide the passenger boat which would serve as a venue for various events and activities for those looking to cruise up and down the river.
“Along with the normal excursion, sightseeing cruises, we see it as a platform for weddings and rehearsals, graduations, proms, alum cruises,” said Access H2O owner Michael Hughes on WAJR-Clarksburg’s “The Gary Bowden Show.”
There’s also a plan for a potential game day cruise, where WVU alumni and Mountaineer fans alike can watch the games on the vessel.
Hughes said he has been working towards bringing this type of boat to the area for a few years. A veteran sailor of over 40 years, Hughes spotted what was originally called the Biscayne Bell near a casino in Mississippi. After acquiring the vessel and trekking it all the way to Millsboro, PA, which included treks up the Mississippi and Ohio rivers, Hughes made major renovations to the ship which included equipment and aesthetic renovations.
“It’s a 125 foot long, and 35 foot wide three decks high,” he said. “The vessel is right at 100 tons. It is quite large.”
Set to be headquartered on the Morgantown Waterfront, the newly named Mountaineer Star will have tours down to Fairmont all the way to parts of Pennsylvania. The vessel is expected to hold as many as 325 people and be active for the majority or all of the year.
Hughes hopes that, based on it’s demographic potential and it’s ability to travel far distances, the riverboat will bring new business, among other things, into the region.
“I see it as an economic driver to start to daisy chain some of these small river communities together,” he said.
According to Hughes, approximately 100 navigable miles of the Monongahela River between Fairmont and Pittsburgh can connect multiple small riverfront communities with round trip services. So far, the Mountaineer Star has been received warmly across the Monongahela.
Along with support from Fairmont City Council, Morgantown City Council approved a $209,700 contract in March to help construct the waterfront port. This project is one of many changes expect to the waterfront, courtesy of a $4.1 million gift from the Hazel Ruby McQuain Charitable Trust.
“There are a bunch of great folks, Main Street Morgantown, the Morgantown Area Paddlers, the Upper Mon River Association, West Virginia University,” he said. “There’s a lot fo great folks that are helping with this particular project and to move things forward.”
The Mountaineer Star could arrive in Morgantown by April 2019. The Waterfront Revitalization Project is expected to begin this fall.
Story by Joe Nelson