The Wetzel County Commission entered into a lease agreement on Tuesday with Cayman Energy for use of the conference room at the Mollohan Center as office space. Cayman Energy will rent that space for several months to allow a convenient meeting place for the company and pipeline inspectors. Notably, the main hall and kitchen area of the Mollohan Center are still available for rental to the public.

During the commission’s Oct. 5 meeting it was learned Cayman had proposed to absorb the costs of wireless internet installation on the fairgrounds, which would be a permanent upgrade to the grounds. The commission took time to review the proposal and lease terms, and agreed on Oct. 25 to rent the conference room to Cayman for seven months at $750 per month. Cayman will also pay several hundred dollars for internet installation.

Abby Delaney, administrative assistant at the WVU Extension Office, met with the commission on Tuesday to finalize the details of this arrangement. The commission thanked her for her hard work in the matter and directed her to take the first steps in getting the wireless internet installed at the center.

Delaney was also present to discuss another long-term rental opportunity on the fairgrounds. She said a safety director on a pipeline had contacted their office inquiring about the costs of renting a cabin at the grounds for a duration of several months and wanted to discuss such costs with the commissioners.

Specifically, the individual is interested in renting the girls’ cabin, as it is best-equipped for winter conditions. While the facility only has a toilet, shower, and bed, Delaney and the commission agreed it would be costly to heat the large cabin throughout the winter and thought it would be a better deal if the cabin was shared with a few others to share such costs. Another issue was the fact that the cabin would need to be available in the summer for camps.

The commission moved to further investigate the costs of running utilities throughout the season and advised Delaney to contact the individual and make it clear the cabin could only be available until May.