MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Plans for the Morgantown-based I-68 Commerce Park will benefit from CARES Act money coming to the Morgantown Municipal Airport.
The airport recently received word of a $7.7 million allocation for its runway extension project. The Monongalia County Development Authority said that will make more acres available for the commerce park.
Morgantown Area Partnership President and CEO Russ Rogerson said there are up to 32 acres of developable land on airport property now, but the extension project will increase that to about 90 acres. Construction on the extension is scheduled to begin this fall. Fill dirt will be used to develop the commerce park.
“The dirt that is being removed and moved around for the runway extension is going to benefit the park and create more pad-ready land for us,” Rogerson said.
Rogerson said the CARES Act funding will help move the project along.
“The city was fortunate enough to get only a five percent match, then getting this $7.7 million without a match really lowers the overall cost,” Rogerson said. “It should lower the overall cost for the City of Morgantown.”
Rogerson said they’ll be working with an engineering firm in the future to finalize the design aspects of the park.
“Once we have that in place then we’ll understand how many acres we have, how were going to lay it out and the associated cost with putting the infrastructure and roadways in,” Rogerson said.
The I-68 Commerce Park is planned for clean, light to heavy industrial or logistics activities.
“We’re hoping, depending on the layout of the land we might be able to put some straight commercial out on the front,” Rogerson said. “In order to create an environment conducive to a variety of projects.”
During a February presentation to Morgantown City Council Rogerson and Mon County Development Authority attorney Rocky Gianola said there are businesses interested in the site.
“Determining the timeline and knowing about what acreage we will have available and at what time,” Rogerson said. When we have some assurity of that we will certainly be marketing those sites.”