MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — The Monongalia County Commission has approved nearly $1 million in additional broadband expansion and a grant for a new road in Mylan Park to access the new KOA Campground.
The most recent broadband expansion effort will be done with Frontier, according to commission president Sean Sikora.
A total of 11 miles of fiber optic transmission cable will be expanded from the Gladesville Road area over to Halleck Road. Sikora noted that in the last year they have been able to complete or start broadband expansion in some areas of the county.
“The overall cost is $953,519, and the contribution by Frontier is 17 percent, and the county is contributing 83 percent,” Sikora said.
Earlier this year, the county and Comcast entered into a $17.8 million partnership to connect more than 2,100 unserved or underserved addresses in the county over the next two years. Last week, commissioners released another contract to connect 120 homes and businesses in the Stewarts Run and Snake Hill areas.
“Seventy-four unserved addresses and there are about six underserved addresses, and On Path is another 171—so, that’s another 171 customers that will have another option,” Sikora said. “So, overall, the possible number of addresses affected will be 251.”
Commissioners also approved a letter of support for a grant not to exceed $400,000 from the Industrial Access Road Grant Program for a new Mylan Park access road to the new $12 million KOA Campground under construction. Each county in the state has access to up to $400,000 through the program annually. The application was submitted by the Mon County Development Authority on behalf of the Mylan Park Foundation.
Recently the grant program has been opened to tourism-related projects.
“Pretty much all the roads in the Chaplin Hill Business Park have been constructed with these grants,” Rogerson said. “So, it’s a great program that comes in helpful and handy as we try to bring in more jobs and investment.”
Mylan Park Foundation President Ron Justice explained the road will provide direct access from Chaplin Hill Road to the campground.
“It will be a state road coming right by the county building, right by the J.W. Ruby Community Center from Chaplin Hill into the KOA Campground,” Justice said.
Justice explained that a road that can handle the larger recreational and camping vehicles is needed and in the future will become even more critical.
“When you’re navigating with these larger motor homes, you can’t go on a 20-foot road and navigate safely,” Justice said.