Marlinton Wellness Center Hits Snag While Depot Moves Forward

Marlinton, WV – One Marlinton construction project hit a snag while another moves ahead.

The County Parks and Recreation board received bids from four contractors offering to build the Community Wellness Center next to Marlinton Elementary School. Unfortunately, the lowest bid was about $1 million higher than the board has available in grant money. The lowest bid, received from a Glen Ferris construction company, came in at just over $3.8 million. The highest bid was almost a million dollars higher.

An engineer with Chapman Technical Group issued specifications that were advertised for bids. To reduce the cost of the facility, the engineer has drafted changes to the specifications, which the Parks and Recreation board will review for approval at a special meeting, yet to be scheduled.

To help residents stay in shape until the Wellness Center is completed, Parks and Recreation set up a mini-gym in the bottom level of the Board of Education building. The mini-gym is equipped with free weights, treadmills, stationary bikes, a universal machine and a few Nautilus-type machines.

The mini-gym is open Monday through Friday from 4 to 7 p.m.; Mondays and Fridays from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. and Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8 to 10 a.m. A monthly rate of $22 and a daily rate are available. As the wellness center experiences delays, construction on the historic Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad depot in Marlinton could begin before the end of the year.

The Marlinton Railroad Depot Corporation board will open bids for the rebuilding of the depot on October 18, 1:30 p.m. at the courthouse in Marlinton. Five general contractors and four subcontractors attended a mandatory pre-bid conference on October 6. The board hopes to get a contractor hired and begin construction before the end of the year. Once completed, the depot will become the home of the Pocahontas County Convention and Visitors Bureau.

The depot was originally built in 1901 and renovated in 1978. Fire destroyed much of the distinctive bright yellow station on March 28, 2008. The C&O Railroad was built between 1868 and 1873, linking Huntington with Richmond, Virginia and opening up southern West Virginia to industrialization.

Three other rare C&O depots have been preserved in Pocahontas County: the Clover Lick Depot on the Greenbrier River Trail; the Durbin Depot, home of the Durbin Rocket, and Cass Depot at the Cass Scenic Railroad.