MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Twenty-five years ago, the Mylan Park vision began with 30 acres of abandoned mine land, and today the park spans about 400 acres with the most diverse mix of activities in the state.
Mylan Park Foundation Board President Ron Justice said the park has grown with the community. As the community has grown, the park has added a variety of amenities for any age group.
“There has been $141 million of either private investment, non-profit investment, or Mylan Par investment since its inception,” Justice said.
The latest projects have been the addition of turf fields, outdoor pickleball courts, and an $11 million KOA campground. The campground will start with more than 140 recreational vehicle spaces with utility hookups, four cabins, and four tent camping spaces. The project includes a lodge, and the cabin and tent areas can be expanded in the future. The estimated economic impact of the campground is $20 million annually once complete.
“These folks are going to buy gasoline, propane, and all those kinds of things here in this community and spend the night when they come to play in these tournaments—buying groceries and eating at restaurants,” Justice said.
From four baseball fields 25 years ago to a facility that has adapted with the interests of the community to add just about every sport to include workout facilities. The Mylan Park of today has hosted USA diving national events, Big 12 sanctioned events, and a variety of local, state, and regional tournaments and has been in consideration for the Olympic diving trials.
“We cover so many things that there is nothing like this in the state of West Virginia,” Justice said. “You can have a volleyball tournament, a lacrosse tournament, a basketball tournament, swimming, diving, and track.”
The park vision is managed by a board of more than 30 people that come from the local school system, business, Visit Mountaineer Country CVB, and the Monongalia County Commission. Justice said the large and diverse board provides a deep well for future growth and expansion.
“It really gives you some synergy to go out and seek opportunities like we have,” Justice said. “The “why not” becomes “it is,” and it is one of the best complexes on the eastern seaboard.”
The future depends on the needs of the community, and currently some items on the horizon are more baseball fields, competition, hockey, and the possibility of an all-weather BMX facility.
“Potentially an additional field; we’ve even talked about future ice activities, and we’ve talked to BOPARC and stakeholders, so we’re working toward those,” Justice said. “Those would be my predictions for the future.”