“What a really special night,” Moundsville Mayor Randy Chamberlain said. “I don’t know if we really appreciate the fact that the major step in building the rec center was taken this evening, and what a great step forward that is.”

Dove Contracting, based in Washington, Pennsylvania, came in with the lowest bid of $4,895,413.

City Manager Rick Healy said the firm had been thoroughly vetted by multiple parties before being recommended for approval.

“That is the low bid, and that is the bid that I as city manager recommend that council accept,” Healy said. “We have vetted the contractor. The architect has done so, as well as owner reps for the city building project. We found them to be very reputable and we look forward to working with them. I talked to their owner already and they are excited to jump on the project.”

Photo by Stephanie Elverd City Manager Rick Healy explains the construction bid for Moundsville’s planned indoor recreation center during Tuesday’s City Council meeting, where officials approved Dove Contracting’s proposal to move the long-awaited project forward.

Council advanced and approved Healy’s recommendation by a vote of 7-1, with Denny Hall voting against the motion.

The project has been in development for several years as city officials worked through design, funding and planning phases for the approximately 20,300-square-foot facility, which will be built at the former Sanford Center property on Third Street. The school was razed in 2022 to clear the site for future redevelopment.

Funding for the project has been assembled through a combination of sources, including $1.5 million from a private partnership, $800,000 from the city’s recreation fund, $500,000 from the Vawter Foundation and $25,000 from WVU Medicine. City officials have also previously noted the possibility of borrowing a small amount if needed to close funding gaps.

Thrasher Group has served as the project’s architect and engineer, developing plans for the facility, which will include two basketball courts, an indoor walking track, batting cages, a community room, party space, concession area, fitness room, locker rooms and showers. The courts are expected to support basketball, volleyball, pickleball, tournaments and youth programming, while the space will also be available for rentals and daily public use.

Healy and Chamberlain also recently visited a class at Central Elementary School to gather student input on the proposed recreation center and learn what types of amenities and activities children would like to see included.

Healy said the conversation generated a wide range of ideas in a short amount of time.

“I think sometimes we don’t listen to the kids and maybe we need to listen to them more,” Healy said. “I asked them for ideas for the rec center. In a matter of 10 minutes, 15 minutes, we probably had 40 ideas of things to do at the rec center and some of those were pretty good ideas. This is another way we can listen to our kids and put things out there that they really want to see and not just what we want to see.”

Among the suggestions, Chamberlain pointed to one idea he said stood out to him.

“I thought the suggestion of a jump night, which is something we can do, we can have a couple trampolines out there,” Chamberlain said. “The kids just like to go and jump. It’s something that is reasonable in cost and it is certainly something they were all interested in.”

Officials said the project is now moving from planning into the construction phase, with work expected to bring the long-discussed recreation center closer to reality after years of discussion and preliminary approvals, including earlier council authorization to move forward with architectural and engineering procurement processes.

Chamberlain said the project represents a long-awaited milestone for the city and thanked those who helped bring the idea “to fruition.”

“Now we can look forward to the groundbreaking,” he said. “For everybody that’s had a hand in it and council has all had some input in it, this is just a great day for Moundsville and for our citizens. I am eager to see the groundbreaking and construction begin.”