ELKINS — Officials said the Railyard Event and Conference Center currently being constructed in downtown Elkins already is booked for a handful of events once the facility opens.

Randolph County Development Authority Director Robbie Morris told The Inter-Mountain several dates have already been penciled in on the new 28,000 square-foot, $11.6 million facility’s calendar.

“We are already getting buses booked and we have some events planned in the conference center and more on the way,” Morris said. “It’s really an exciting time and we already have a sales team that’s out there booking events for the conference center as well as tickets and booking shows, which will be coming out before too much longer.”

Morris added that the events that have been scheduled have been booked “far enough out to where if any delays happen with the construction, the events won’t be affected and have to be cancelled or delayed.”

“We are trying to just make sure that there is not going to be any major delays or hiccups before we get too far down the road,” Morris said. “The last thing I want to do is set a date and book everyone early and have to cancel something right out of the gate… The things that are several months out or even a year out we are already starting to book.”

Morris, a state senator who recently wrapped up the legislative session in Charleston, said the Railyard Event and Conference Center’s official opening will be announced in the near future.

“We are trying to be conservative when it comes to the opening date,” Morris said. “Things are coming along nicely and we are still hoping that within the next two to three months we can be in there.”

Morris said the facility is making strides each day as construction crews continue to work hard on completing the Event Center project.

“They are getting bricks up and the roof and all that kind of stuff, so it’s really coming together,” Morris said. “It would be nice if we had a good spring season as far as the weather goes to finish things up. The inside of the building is coming along nicely as well, so everything is going well at this point.”

Since construction began on the new facility, which is being constructed behind the Elkins Railroad Depot, Morris set a timeline for completion to be sometime in the month of June.

“June will be here before we know it and starting to get really exciting,” Morris said. “It’s been a total team effort and we are happy to finally have a venue such as this where we can grow our tourism economy and help generate tax revenue. The Center will also help keep our restaurants, shops and hotels full and bring people to the area so they can experience all the things we have going on.”