photo by: Shelley Hanson

Earth work has already started at the site of the future John Marshall High School Natatorium & Aquatic Center.

GLEN DALE — Marshall County Schools officials on Friday kicked off a two-year project to build a $37.4 million natatorium and aquatic center beside John Marshall High School.

Colaianni Construction is the general contractor for the job that will provide the high school students their first competition swimming pool on campus. The students for many years have practiced at the city of Moundsville’s indoor Four Seasons Pool.

In addition to the competition pool, the two-story, 68,000-square-foot building will have a warmup pool, track, weight room, multipurpose room, concessions, two classrooms and more.

A portion of the aquatics center building, about 7,500 square feet, will be leased and used by WVU Medicine Reynolds Memorial Hospital. The hospital’s portion of the building will include a cardiac rehab area, exam rooms, reception area, clinical nutrition room, a waiting area, a lab, a primary care provider’s office and more. It will also use the warmup swimming pool for its cardiac rehab patients.

Once it is open, Marshall County residents will also be able to use the facility during designated times.

Omni Architectural and Engineer Services designed the facility and Counsilman-Hunsaker Aquatics for Life consulted. The competition pool will have eight lanes and movable bulkheads. The facility will be large enough to host large swim meets.

It will also include bleacher seating by the pool.

Taking part in the groundbreaking on Friday were Superintendent Shelby Haines, Adam Rohaly of Omni Associates, Facilities Director Mike Price, JMHS Swimming Head Coach Timmi Snyder, board of education members Duane Miller and Brenda Coffield, Christie Robison and Lori Kestner, board president John Miller, WVU Reynolds Memorial Hospital President and CEO Tony Martinelli and Glen Dale Mayor Janet Scott.

Scott said she was happy to see the project begin.

“We think it’s a wonderful thing. It’s been a long time coming,” she said. “It’s been a dream now turned into reality. It’s going to be beneficial to the community, to WVU Medicine, to the board of education and Marshall County Schools. The plans that I’ve seen for the facility look like it’s going to be marvelous and state of the art.”

Martinelli described the project as “tremendously exciting.”

“WVU Medicine plans to have a wellness center in the building. So it’s our hope while the kids are pursuing excellence in sports that the adults take the opportunity to visit one of our clinicians, maybe get their checkups and take their health seriously,” he said.

The new aquatic center can be added to the hospital’s growing list of services.

“We want to pursue our goal of providing as much care as possible as close to home as possible,” he said. “We’re going to continue to add services and keep people here in this community. We think this is a natural fit; partnering with the high school on this and we’re thrilled to be a part of it.”

John Miller said he is looking forward to the day the center opens.

“Our swim teams have done great in recent years and we won state this past year. … And they’ve done that without having a facility right next door,” he said. “We’ll be able to host events here and have a parking lot there. It’s a final piece of our campus at John Marshall.”

Price said he is “elated” to get the project under way.

“You’ll see me smiling for a while,” Price added.

He noted the center will likely be the largest project he has overseen with the school district. Size-wise it will have about the same square footage as Moundsville Middle School. The center, he noted, will be a “game changer” for the school district, community and taxpayers.

Reno Colaianni of Colaianni Construction described the center as a “milestone” and “high-profile” project for the region.

“It’s always nice to work with the county, and to build something that is going to be around a long time for the kids,” he said. “It’s very rewarding. Hopefully one day my kids will get to come here and swim. That would be fun to come and see.”