MORGANTOWN – It’s hard to imagine there’s ever been a year that tops 2025 in terms of the number of projects, plans, spending and storylines tied to recreation in Monongalia County.
From a new director at BOPARC to a new home for the Monongalia County Fair to the continued expansion of offerings at Mylan Park, the following list is long, but by no means exhaustive.
New BOPARC leadership
In June, Melissa Wiles announced she was retiring as the executive director of BOPARC after 22 years with the organization – more than a decade of which was spent leading the city’s parks.
The Board of Parks and Recreation Commissioners conducted a nationwide search that drew more than 40 applicants, but ultimately found its next director right here at home.
In October, the body unanimously approved the hiring of Morgantown native Greg Travinski, who first came to BOPARC in a seasonal role as a camp counselor in 2007.
Prior to taking over as executive director earlier this month, Travinski worked as BOPARC’s division director of programs, athletics and facilities.
Reimagining Marilla
In May, BOPARC cut the ribbon on a $14 million pool and aquatic playground in upper Marilla Park, replacing the well-loved pool that helped park goers beat the heat for some 65-plus years in the heart of the park’s lower portion.
The new pool, complete with three water slides, lazy river and splash pad, was the driving force behind a 219% increase in daily admission visits to BOPARC’s community pools over the summer.
The relocation of the pool cleared the way for what will be sweeping improvements to the park’s lower section.
In June, an $8.5 million contract with High Point Construction Group was approved for a project that will include the construction of six new tennis courts and six pickleball courts, a new basketball court, a 27,000 square-foot artificial grass field, a pump track/skate park, renovations to the Marilla Center, two standalone bathroom facilities, new lighting, parking, pavilions, walkways and landscaping.
The park’s layout will shift as the skate park moves to the old pool location and the tennis/pickleball courts will be constructed behind the Marilla Center, near the current home of the skate park.
The work is expected to be completed in the first half of 2026.
New ice x2
In early September, Mylan Park opened what it believes to be the “region’s premier public ice venue” – Hope Gas Ice Pavilion at Mylan Park.
The 48,000 square-foot, $15 million facility was built with the support of the Hazel Ruby McQuain Charitable Trust and serves as the home of West Virginia University Hockey and the Morgantown Hockey Association as well community offerings like learn-to-skate programs and public skating sessions.
The rise of Hope Gas Ice Pavilion came on the heels of community discussion regarding the future of the BOPARC Sports Complex, home of the Morgantown Ice Arena, which was the focus of an eight-month renovation project this year.
While Mylan Park focused primarily on competitive hockey, BOPARC hired Lombardi Development for $3.15 million for a slate of upgrades to enhance community use of the facility that began life in 1978 as a canopy over an outdoor sheet of ice.
That project began in February. The ice arena welcomed the community back for its first public skate in October.
Improvements included upgraded mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems, a new building exterior, a new roof, an improved dasher board system, new party rooms, rubberized flooring and other ice-related amenities in addition to the installation of new chiller and dehumidification systems.
Mylan Park KOA
In May, the new 37-acre KOA, or Kampgrounds of America, facility at Mylan Park underwent a “soft launch,” opening 40 or so RV sites to its first visitors.
In August – just ahead of WVU’s first home football weekend – the remainder of the $11 million camp site opened, boasting 137 RV sites, 22 cabins featuring multiple sizes and layouts, and 10 tent pads.
Surrounded by an ever-expanding list of amenities across Mylan Park’s 400 or so acres, the KOA destination is built on reclaimed mine land, and benefitted from $3.75 million in state support by way of Abandoned Mine Lands and Reclamation funding.
In addition to the various camping options, the site features a central lodge, dog parks, a playground, a seasonal “Kangaroo Jumper” play area, and close proximity to fishing ponds. The camp store is expected to be open for business in the spring.
Visitors who book a stay within the KOA receive passes to utilize Mylan Park’s other offerings.
Trails and bridges
For those who enjoy taking in the local flora and fauna during a leisurely stroll – or maybe even stopping to get a line in the water – significant progress was made on improvements to a pair of recreational sites this past year.
In late 2024, Morgantown City Council approved a $1,557,400 contract with Nature Trails NC to construct a series of trails, water crossings and fishing access on the 125-acres site of MUB’s Flegal Dam & Reservoir.
During a tour of the site in October, it was explained that the initial three-mile trail circumnavigating the 370-million gallon reservoir could be ready for nature lovers as early as this month, though it will likely be early 2026 before it opens officially.
Miles of additional walking and mountain biking trails are to follow, as is water access and a launch area for non-motorized boats for those looking to take advantage of the multi-year fish stocking program being undertaken by the West Virginia Department of Natural Resources.
Meanwhile, near MUB’s original Cobun Creek Reservoir in White Park, the deck of a new 172-foot bridge across Cobun Creek was set in place in November.
The structure, which measures six-feet wide at the abutments and expands to 10 feet at the center pier, will open some 20 additional acres of White Park for new trails and public use.
The city approved a $1.44 million contract for the bridge’s construction in March.
Both the bridge and future trail improvements are being financed by MUB through an agreement that allowed the utility board to run a water line from the new Flegal Reservoir through park property.
On two wheels
Both the city of Morgantown, in conjunction with BOPARC, and Mylan Park have initiated projects this year catering to construct bike-focused attractions.
Earlier this month, Morgantown City Council approved a $653,775 contract with Nature Trails NC to construct what’s known as a “bike skills pump track” along the Deckers Creek Trail, just across from lower Greenmont at the dead end of a short strip of road known as Valley Crossing.
A pump track is a circuit of rolling hills, banked turns and other features that allow riders/skaters to use momentum to propel themselves forward.
The project is expected to consist of site preparation and construction of a concrete park including a halfpipe and mini-ramp, a series of asphalt concrete bike skills features (progressive jumps and bank returns), accessible pathways, seating, parking and a bike repair stand.
The majority of the funding is coming through a $250,000 West Virginia Community Advancement and Development Land and Water Conservation Grant and a $250,000 local match from BOPARC.
As for Mylan Park, it recently published a request for bids to construct the Mylan Park Action Sports Complex, also known as Mountaineer Bike Yard.
That project will consist of an adaptive BMX track, pump track, bike jump/flow lines and a skills course.
It’s anticipated the action sports park will be located in the park’s upper section, just beyond the gravel overflow parking area that helps serve the track complex and Peak Health Aquatic Center.
Bids for the project will be opened Jan. 22.
A new fairgrounds
In November, The Monongalia County Fair Board signed the deed on 65 acres of land that will serve as the future home of the county’s annual summer showcase.
The property – described as being on the Morgantown side of Cassville, five minutes from the intersection of Chaplin Hill Road, Monongahela Boulevard and Blue Horizon Drive – was donated by Core Natural Resources.
Fair officials have expressed their desire to hold the 2026 fair at the new site, but conceded there’s significant work to be done to make that happen.
With the exception of 2020 and 2021, when the uncertainty of COVID prompted its cancellation, the county fair has been held in the increasingly busy Mylan Park since returning from a five-year hiatus in 2010. Prior to that, the fair was held in Westover Park.
