ELKINS – Officials confirmed this week that construction of the new Railyard Event and Conference Center is on track to be completed by July 1.

Randolph County Development Authority Director Robbie Morris told The Inter-Mountain that everything is on schedule for the opening of the new 28,000 square-foot, $11.6 million facility.

“Things are looking good for the Conference Center and all of the other portions of the building for July 1,” Morris said. “There have been some delays in the delivery of some of the furniture fixtures and equipment for the theater, so that has created a small delay in the theater side of things, but we still hope to be open in July. But it’s all coming together nicely.”

Morris said that even though some events have already been scheduled at the new facility, things will shift into a higher gear once the facility is complete.

“We already have some great events in the Conference Center scheduled and the same with the theater,” Morris said. “We have been hesitant to schedule too much, however, during the summer and early fall because we want to make sure everything is complete and we are fully open. But once we get that green light we will be moving like crazy.”

Morris said the grand opening will be scheduled and announced as soon as everything is fully in place.

“It kind of depends on when the theater side is done. I don’t want to have a grand opening and then have the building not be available,” Morris said. “It’s possible that we may do a soft opening and a test run on a couple of things before the grand opening.”

Morris said some hiring still has to be done for the new facility. He projects there will be close to 40 full-time and 20 to 25 part-time employees hired for jobs at the Center.

“So far the only people who have been hired are the managers, the director of sales and entertainment, and a chef,” Morris said. “All of the other hiring will take place here in the not-too-distant future. We’ve been waiting to see when we can actually open up.

“I don’t want to have people on the payroll without anything to do and no business to conduct too early. But you also have to have those people hired and trained and ready to go when you do have your first event. So it’s a little bit of a scheduling juggling act right now.”

Morris said the Randolph County Development Authority will be hosting hiring and job fairs once some of the scheduling is solidified. He said the events will be publicized.

“When it opens, it’s going to be a nice little boost to our tourism economy, downtown, and overall economic development,” Morris said.

For more information about the Randolph Development Authority, visit the organization’s Facebook page or go to www.randolphwv.com.