Latest news with #BOPARC
Dominion Post
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Dominion Post
Sunny days ahead: BOPARC opens new Marilla Pool with 'first splash'
MORGANTOWN — Clouds are primarily composed of water — and yet they hate a pool party. Everybody knows it. But now they've gone too far. In a truly pathetic display, they parked themselves over Morgantown on Thursday and sprinkled on BOPARC's First Splash at Marilla Pool event in upper Marilla Park. But fall-like temperatures and the pitter-patter of petty raindrops was little match for the tropical tap-tap of the CB Studios Steel Drum Band, the rhythms of which built excitement as a pair of intrepid youths – Henry Lemasters and Connor Trumble – donned swim trunks and gave each of the facility's new water slides a test run in full view of a damp, adoring audience. The festivities ended a year's long effort to replace the 65-year-old Marilla Pool in lower Marilla Park with what is essentially a mini-water park in its upper section. 'I am overwhelmed. I'm overwhelmed with the work that was done and all the folks who worked on this, either directly or by helping get it funded and working through the process,' BOPARC Executive Director Melissa Wiles said. 'I'm just overwhelmed and very happy that we have come to the point that we're going to be able to offer this beautiful facility to the community. The project has been financed through BOPARC's portion of the city sales tax. It receives a quarter of the sales tax revenues received by the city – $2,522,673.63 in the fiscal year that ends June 30. Wiles said BOPARC is probably a month away from the final invoices coming through, but she's confident the project will be delivered at or under the original $14 million estimate. BOPARC President Danielle Trumble and member Jenny Selin are also members of Morgantown City Council. Looking out over the new amenities, Trumble explained it wasn't long ago that BOPARC was before council, hat in hand, asking for a few thousand dollars to replace a liner in a retirement-age pool. 'It's been something to watch how a park system can be transformed with just a quarter of the sales tax. It's pretty remarkable. People get back what they put in as far as tax dollars go,' Selin added. 'To have the ability to have a sales tax and put it into action makes a huge difference for people's daily lives. All summer long, kids and families, young adults, older adults, people coming here for classes and exercise, they're going to love it. It's just a fabulous facility.' And it's just the beginning. A stone's throw from the pool complex, the finishing touches are being added to a new, 7,400-square-foot, $620,000 playground. Down the road, the much-discussed improvements to the Morgantown Ice Arena are in progress and slated for an October completion. Next month, a total reimagining of lower Marilla Park – including a new, centrally-located action / skate park in the former pool footprint – goes out for bid. 'Projects like this are an example of money well spent and a good use of taxpayer dollars. This is going to add enjoyment to the city of Morgantown and the quality of life of residents for decades,' Trumble said. 'And there are a lot of big projects coming down the pipeline. It's a great time to live in the city of Morgantown.' But what about her son's decision to brave the elements in search of first-splash glory? 'He and [Henry] knew about this opening weeks before we learned the weather was going to be so bad. They're 11-year-old boys. There is no changing direction once they get their hearts set on something.' According to Wiles, her 23 years in parks and recreation has taught her that there's less than coin-flip odds that West Virginia's Memorial Day weekend weather will chase crowds to the pool. Even so, BOPARC's pools will be open Saturday, Sunday and Monday. 'We're not letting the weather dampen our mood,' she said. 'There's plenty of sunny days ahead.' For more information, including admission rates, season passes and rental opportunities, check out
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Morgantown cuts ribbon on new Marilla pool
MORGANTOWN, (WBOY) — BOPARC invited Morgantown residents on Thursday to celebrate the opening of the city's new Marilla Park Pool, which has become a substantial improvement over the original. This new pool features three slides, a lazy river, a diving board and diving well, a splash zone and a zero-grade entry area similar to the original Marilla pool. The pool deck also has tables, umbrellas, chairs and shaded areas to provide some protection from the sun. Although the rainy weather during the event wasn't exactly ideal for a day at the pool, two volunteers braved the cold waters to take the inaugural trip down the pool's three slides. Residents will get their first opportunity to enjoy the pool on Saturday, May 24 and for the remainder of Memorial Day weekend, but the official beginning of the pool season will be on May 31. Morgantown student to compete in Scripps National Spelling Bee Although the pool is the newest project in the area, BOPARC still has several other Marilla projects in the works. Currently, the site of the old Marilla Pool is the expected location of a new skate park. New tennis and pickleball courts are also being planned to replace the current ones. You can read more about the area's future construction plans here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Dominion Post
20-05-2025
- Business
- Dominion Post
BOPARC putting a new roof on the Wiles Hill Community Center
MORGANTOWN — The Board of Parks and Recreation Commissioners recently purchased a new lid for the Wiles Hill Community Center. During its most recent regular meeting, the board approved a contract with Sutter Roofing for $155,500 to replace the old building's roof. BOPARC Executive Director Melissa Wiles said she was pleased to see the bids come in under the project's original $200,000 budget. She hopes it stays that way. 'You never know with an old building. Keep your fingers crossed for no change orders,' she said. Sutter Roofing was one of five bidders to make an offer on the job. The same company is currently replacing the roof of the Morgantown Ice Arena as part of a larger renovation of that facility. Built in 1910, the Fourth Ward School – more commonly referred to as the Wiles Hill School – served its educational mission for 89 years. In 1939, it received an addition thanks to FDR's New Deal-era Public Works Administration. Shortly after consolidation forced the school's closure in 1999, the 14,000 square-foot building was sold to BOPARC. It's served as a community/senior center, artist haven, dance studio, fitness space, concert hall, cafe and all-around gathering spot since 2005 or so. The building was added to the National Registry of Historic Places in 2004.
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
BOPARC putting a new roof on the Wiles Hill Community Center
May 19—MORGANTOWN — The Board of Parks and Recreation Commissioners recently purchased a new lid for the Wiles Hill Community Center. During its most recent regular meeting, the board approved a contract with Sutter Roofing for $155, 500 to replace the old building's roof. BOPARC Executive Director Melissa Wiles said she was pleased to see the bids come in under the project's original $200, 000 budget. She hopes it stays that way. "You never know with an old building. Keep your fingers crossed for no change orders, " she said. Sutter Roofing was one of five bidders to make an offer on the job. The same company is currently replacing the roof of the Morgantown Ice Arena as part of a larger renovation of that facility. Built in 1910, the Fourth Ward School — more commonly referred to as the Wiles Hill School — served its educational mission for 89 years. In 1939, it received an addition thanks to FDR's New Deal-era Public Works Administration. Shortly after consolidation forced the school's closure in 1999, the 14, 000 square-foot building was sold to BOPARC. It's served as a community /senior center, artist haven, dance studio, fitness space, concert hall, cafe and all-around gathering spot since 2005 or so. The building was added to the National Registry of Historic Places in 2004.
Dominion Post
09-05-2025
- Business
- Dominion Post
Morgantown sales tax revenue surpasses $10 million in FY 2025
MORGANTOWN — The city of Morgantown collected more than $10 million in sales taxes in the current fiscal year. It's the first time collections have reached eight digits since the city utilized Home Rule to implement the additional 1% tax in 2020. Earlier this week, Morgantown City Council approved a resolution amending the city's projected sales tax revenue to reflect an increase of $490,694.51 in the 2025 fiscal year, bringing the total to $10,090,694.51. That number represents a new high-water mark for sales tax collections and an increase of $196,096.54 over the 2024 fiscal year. 'You're more than welcome when you can come and you can tell us we're not dealing with negatives, we're dealing with positives,' Councilor Bill Kawecki told Finance Director Jon Ferguson. 'To put things in perspective, this money is not just a gift, it's pretty much allocated to various activities that we have ongoing. You mentioned the pension plan, but also I think it helps to take care of some of the employee health insurance that we had to dip into funds to cover, if I'm not mistaken.' The enabling legislation mandates tax revenues be distributed in the following manner: 25% for recreational facilities and services operated by BOPARC; 25% for the purpose of reducing the unfunded actuarial accrued liability of the city's police and firefighter pension funds; 25% for capital improvement projects within the city; and 25% to be allocated at the discretion of Morgantown City Council into the city's general fund or used to supplement the funding going to the three uses listed above. Ferguson confirmed that the additional revenue going into the city's general fund would offset some of the $1.45 million the city 'temporarily borrowed' from its general fund in January to cover increases in the cost of the city's self-funded insurance plan. While the sales tax revenues topped the $10 million threshold in the 2025 fiscal year, it's expected they may drop by up to 10% in FY 2026. The upcoming spending plan conservatively anticipates just over $9 million in sales taxes. If that number holds, it would be the lowest full-year collection, by a considerable margin, since the city implemented the tax. The reduction comes down to the state implementing a more precise method of determining what businesses are located within a municipality, resulting in the probability that some businesses located on the periphery of the city have been collecting Morgantown sales taxes and remitting them to the state for distribution despite not being within the city's boundaries. Historical sales tax collections by the city of Morgantown include: — $5,457,116.46 for fiscal year 2021. This represented two quarters of collections. — $9,541,906.24 for fiscal year 2022. The city budgeted $6 million. — $9,464,938.11 for fiscal year 2023. The city budgeted $8.8 million — $9,894,597.97 for fiscal year 2024. The city budgeted $9.56 million — $10,090,694.51 for fiscal year 2025. The city budgeted $9.6 million.
