Residents living near the site where West Virginia University is developing a research park off Route 705 may hear an occasional loud boom over the next week or so, University officials say.

The noise stems from blasting being conducted on the property as contractors form a detention pond for storm water, said Russ Lorince, WVU ’s economic development director. The blasting is necessary to create a basin for the pond. Road construction on another part of the site will likely require blasting as well in the coming days, but the total number of blasts is not expected to exceed six, he added.

“We want to make sure residents in the area know what’s going on and are not alarmed,”Lorince said.”The contractors have assured us the blasting is being conducted within the prescribed regulatory limits.”

The first phase of development of the Research Park on the 88-acre site includes major excavation work and grading.

Once that work is completed, roadway and utility corridor development, fine grading and construction of the first building are scheduled.

The initial 60,000-square-foot structure-expected to be completed in summer 2006-will house the WVU Business Incubator and provide about 40,000 square feet of leasable space. It will generate approximately 240 new jobs over the next several years, officials said.