PARKERSBURG - Officials plan to have the area's regional Department of Motor Vehicles office open beginning Monday morning.
Natalie Harvey, spokeswoman for the DMV, said crews will work the weekend to get the new site open for business Monday, instead of the planned Wednesday opening.
The former office, located beside National College in the Park Shopping Center, was closed this week as officials moved to the new site. The closure was originally scheduled to last until Wednesday when the new 9,000-square-foot facility on Lubeck Avenue would be operational.
"We are going to open Monday, instead of Wednesday," Harvey said.
Officials, including West Virginia Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin will hold a grand-opening ceremony Tuesday at 4 p.m.
In March 2011, DMV officials abruptly closed the Parkersburg Regional Office at 3001 Dudley Ave. due to health and safety concerns for employees and residents. It was determined repairs needed to be done to the roof and structure.
When the Dudley Avenue office closed, county officials and others secured locations to make sure services continued. The DMV set up temporary locations at the Judge Black Annex in downtown Parkersburg and at West Virginia University at Parkersburg. These temporary locations remained in operation through August 2011 when the DMV opened its temporary location at the National College building.
Mold was also believed to be a problem at an adjacent National College office. The issue was raised after some employees, reportedly suffering from illness and respiratory issues, raised concerns about possible mold. The temporary site also had no public restroom facilities.
The new facility was initially announced to be open by late summer, but the project had to rebid, and the delay pushed the opening to fall.
The Parkersburg area has shown great patience as the DMV has moved around and they want to make sure the new location is ready, Harvey said.
