photo by: Shelley Hanson
Three major projects are all underway in Moundsville and located just blocks from each other. Shown here is one of those projects, a $6.7 million renovation of the Marshall County Courthouse. A new $12.5 million Moundsville municipal building and $8.9 million Marshall County Health Department structure are also under construction in the city.
New construction representing about $28 million in investment is all occurring just blocks from each other in the city of Moundsville.
The work includes a brand new Marshall County Health Department, 513 Sixth Street; rehabilitation of the Marshall County Courthouse, 600 Seventh Street; and construction of a new Moundsville Municipal Building, 820 Sixth Street.
Work on the new Marshall County Health Department is well underway with concrete block work occurring now on the site.
During the August groundbreaking ceremony for the building, the general contractor for the project, Grae-Con Construction of Steubenville, had already been working at the site for weeks and was ahead of schedule on the $8.9 million structure.
“There are no supply chain issues and the contractor wants to get as much done during good weather as possible,” said Marshall County Administrator Betsy Frohnapfel on Wednesday.
To make way for the new building, the old health department building along with the former Journal office were razed.
The health department is continuing to operate out of the old Teletech building in Moundsville until the new structure is complete. The new building will be much larger and offer better clinical areas to care for and talk to patients.
The building was designed by Marie McCauley, architect with Silling Architects of Charleston. It is anticipated to be complete in about a year and a half.
Frohnapfel said work on the current Marshall County Courthouse, which is located next door to the health department site, is ongoing and is now anticipated to be “substantially complete” by Dec. 15. In addition to interior work, the look of the front of the building is changing with the addition of a new entrance/security area.
The $6.7 million project was originally slated to be done last June, but supply chain issues have caused delays. SQP Construction Group Inc. of St. Albans is the general contractor.
“They’re working now at least two shifts per day,” she said. “We’re looking forward to the completion. We appreciate everyone’s patience while working through this process. It has been trying for the taxpayers and the employees.”
Just a couple blocks away, work on the new $12.5 million Moundsville Municipal Building is also well underway. In recent weeks the two-story building has taken shape with the steel and concrete block rising high above the ground.
The contractor on the job is &build. The new building will house the city offices, fire department and police department. It will also include a drive-through for people to use to pay bills. Construction of the building began in September 2022 and was anticipated to be completed in about 13 months; however, issues with contaminated soil at the site that had to be removed, along with concrete issues that had to be resolved, put it somewhat behind for a time. Work is now back on track.
