A Pittsburgh contractor is the apparent low bidder on a project to upgrade the West Virginia University Mountainlair garage, WVU officials said.
p. The garage will tentatively close Tuesday, July 6, giving WVU officials time to finalize a contract with Concrete Preservation Systems, said John Thompson, manager of design and construction services for WVU Physical Plant. This is the second time the closing date has been pushed back because of delays in the bidding process.

Upgrades to the two-level, 450-space garage are part of a $7 million project that also includes a makeover of the plaza above.

When the garage closes, WVU employees who park in Area 9 on the lower level will park in spaces the University has acquired in the Morgantown parking garage on Spruce Street, said Jim Enoch, WVU s assistant director of parking. They can then catch a University bus shuttle to the Mountainlair.

Those who use the garages 300 short-term spaces can either park at the Coliseum and ride the Personal Rapid Transit or park at the Sunnyside short-term lots, Enoch added.

Improvements to the garage include concrete repairs on the second story, new lighting on both levels and renovations to the ventilation system.

Mid-October is the tentative reopening date for the garage.

Work on the plaza, meanwhile, is tentatively scheduled to begin in mid-July and take a year to complete.

The new plaza will sport a fresh artificial playing turf, basketball court, terraced walkways, increased lighting, and tables and seating situated among shade trees and shrubbery. Other improvements include the replacement or renovation of the stair tower and installation of a lift pad.

Design Alliance Architects of Pittsburgh is the lead architect on the project, and LaQuatra Bonci Associates, also of Pittsburgh, is the landscape architect.