New exhibit hall at Jim Miller Park in Marietta to open in August

Major renovations and upgrades are happening at Jim Miller Park in Marietta. Costing about $13.2 million, the exhibit hall is expected to open in August.

As part of the voter-approved 2016 Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax, the old buildings A and B are now closed and being torn down, according to a county statement. This demolition will make way for a more than 41,000-square-foot building with a large lobby area surrounded on two sides by glass curtain walls to allow maximum natural light.

The kitchen will have two windows to support concession sales to both the main exhibit halls and exterior plaza area. Featuring three halls, the new facility will be able to host a wide variety of meetings and events that traditionally have found a home at Jim Miller Park. The facility also will be well suited to host corporate meetings, banquets and trade shows that require more space and a higher degree of refinement, according to county officials.