MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (WBOY) — West Virginia University announced on Friday that the planned “Pride Practice Facility” project will now move to break ground at Mylan Park.

According to a WVU press release, the facility will provide the Mountaineer Marching Band with a new home starting in fall 2024. The facility marks a desperate upgrade for the band, which has had to practice in a parking lot near the WVU Coliseum for decades.

“As one of the most recognizable programs at WVU, the Mountaineer Marching Band has long deserved a space of its own,” said Keith Jackson, dean of the College of Creative Arts. “We are thrilled to be moving forward on this important project.”

The facility was initially announced in 2019 and was planned to be built at the site of the old baseball field near the WVU Coliseum. WVU held a groundbreaking ceremony for the original site in 2021, but work on the project has stalled since then.

While the facility will be mainly used by the Mountaineer Marching Band, the release said that it will also be available for other community programming.

“With a focus on recruiting the next generation of band members, we can’t think of a better location and atmosphere than Mylan Park for the new Pride Practice Facility,” said WVU Director of Bands Scott Tobias. “As a community hub, we hope to use this location as a way to further establish the Mountaineer Marching Band as a part of Morgantown community.”

Jackson said that WVU plans to hold a groundbreaking ceremony for the facility in early 2024 and that the project is planned to be ready with a full-size turf field and sound system by the following August, just in time for band camp.