FAIRMONT, W.Va. — Following the approval of a long-awaited parcel donation from local manufacturer Novelis, the City of Fairmont will put the construction of Norwood Park out to bid.
“Even though the whole project has taken longer than anticipated, we believe this will result in the best possible park improvements we could’ve planned for that location,” Director of Planning Shae Strait said. “We couldn’t be more excited to be getting this underway.”
The 1.5-acre universal accessibility park has been in planning since 2019 and has received the greenlight from Fairmont City Council to receive over $3 million in funding for its construction. The funding will be sourced from Tax Increment Funds, American Rescue Plan funds and $80,000 in from private donations – $75,000 from Novelis and $5,000 from the Disability Action Center.
“To truly be the ‘Friendly City’ we have to provide spaces that allow families to be together. This wouldn’t have been possible without this generous donation from Novelis,” Fairmont Mayor Anne Bolyard. “This project has been five years in the making and to see this vision for our community come to life is exactly what we’ve all been waiting for.”
If all goes according to plan with this bid process, construction will hopefully begin later this summer, with the park being fully open just in time for next year’s park season.
The park will be a one-of-a-kind recreation opportunity for families around the state. The park has been planned with accessibility in mind from the beginning. Input sessions with the public, collaborations from local agencies and a fully customized design all have paired to manifest a totally unique park that will be a first in the state of West Virginia.
“We want to be leading West Virginia with our efforts and show communities around the state how things should be done,” City Manager Travis Blosser said. “I’m ecstatic to see shovels going into the ground and for us to have the opportunity to show the citizens the fruits of our labor on such a big project is really exciting.”