WESTERVILLE — American Municipal Power will officially christen its new, corporate headquarters during an open house and dedication ceremony set for Monday in Westerville.

The open house is from 4:30-6:30 p.m. with the official ceremony at 5:30 p.m. at AMP’s new, corporate headquarters located at 1111 Schrock Road, Westerville.

Kent Carson, senior director of communications for AMP, said the company purchased an existing building and made renovations. The purchase price was $6 million.

“We made the move because we needed the space,” Carson said. “With the growth of the organization during the last 10 years, not only in terms of membership...50 percent increase in members since 2000...but in terms of the variety of services offered by the organization, plus all of the project development, Prairie State, AMPGS and five hydroelectric projects, we’ve had to add staff.”

Carson went on to say the company’s old building on Airport Drive in Columbus could no longer accommodate the organization and was lacking in conference rooms, meeting space and parking spaces.

“The new building addresses all of this, plus leaves room for expansion,” Carson explained. “We purchased the building in December of 2008 and occupied it in July. There is approximately 98,000 square feet of office space with just over eight acres of land. AMP is occupying floors one, three and four with existing tenants on the second floor. There is room for our lineworker training classes on land adjacent to the building.”

As for the old building, Carson said it was sold to Ohio Dominican University.

As for AMP’s American Municipal Power Generating Station proposed for Letart Falls, Carson confirmed yesterday it is still on track for a ground breaking in the fourth quarter of this year or first quarter of 2010.