Morgantown Dominion Post
Saturday 11 March 2006
By Eric Bowen
Developers of the Morgantown marina project are looking for ways to cut costs on construction after awarding a bid to March-Westin earlier this month, the project developer said Tuesday.
Rich Lane, director of development for Petroplus & Associates, said that the bid for the marina, now called the Monongahela River Center, came in about $600,000 higher than the project's budget of $3.2 million. Developers plan to meet with March-Westin to come up with "value engineering" to trim costs of the project during the next week.
"We're going to review the measures to save some costs," Lane said. "It's mostly just material changes that won't affect how the public views it."
Construction on the River Center should begin by the end of March and be completed by fall, Lane said.
The River Center will have mostly the same features as proposed in previous site drawings, Lane said. The project includes a restaurant, boat slips, and a boathouse for the WVU crew team and a community boating group.
It also will have a long dock that could be used for commercial boating tours, Lane said. Petroplus has not gotten commitments from any tour companies, but has talked with Pittsburgh-based Gateway Clipper Fleet to set up a limited service at the Morgantown dock.
One likey change to the plans is that it will be built closer to the riverbank, Lane said. This would eliminate some costly supports that suspend the dock in the water by having more of the structure built on land.
Lane said Petroplus has had interest from some restaurant companies wanting to lease at the River Center, but the firm has not signed any deals yet. He said the company hopes to get a restaurant to fit the river theme and use a back deck area for seating.
"We want to put the right use in there and the right feel," Lane said.
Morgantown City Manager Dan Boroff said he looked forward to starting construction on the River Center project. He said it will complement the other construction there, including a new West Virginia Public Theatre slated for construction later this year.
The theater is also slated for some changes to increase its flexibility, Lane said. He said architects are looking at ways to have removable seats and a flat floor so it can be used for conventions or car shows. Petroplus hopes to begin construction on the Marina Tower about the same time as the theater, Lane said. The eight-story building will house stores, offices and condos.
Boroff said the mixed-use buildings along the waterfront should make it an attractive place for local residents. He said the River Center is an important part of the construction.
"It's a very important addition to all of the other amenities that are defining the Morgantown riverfront," Boroff said. "I think it will add a whole new set of activities down there."
The River Center, Public Theatre and Marina Tower will add much-needed density to the wharf district, said Terri Cutright, executive director of Main Street Morgantown.
Cutright said that the wharf has suffered from a lack of space for retail stores. Both the River Center and the Marina Tower should bring in more people and places for them to shop.
"There is already a demand for the land and the buildings down there," Cutright said. "Something like this shows that private sector confidence."