The safety of city employees was the primary reason why a few different departments have moved their operation to the Education and Administration Building on the former campus of the Ohio Valley Medical Center.
Wheeling’s Assistant City Manager Bill Lanham explained that the Parks and Recreation, Building and Planning, and Code Enforcement employees now report to work in Center Wheeling instead of inside the Ohio County Courthouse on 16th and Chapline streets. A portion of the same structure, Lanham explained, is now being renovated for the city’s water department, too.
“One of the reasons we did that was because of this virus. They have such a small area up on that third floor (in the courthouse), so it was good to have that flexibility to give them a larger space,” Lanham said. “The area that could become the water department is still in the process. They are working on the floor right now.
“The last component will be to make sure we can do heating and cooling in that area,” he said. “One of things that I have heard is that people have a tough time finding a parking space (near the courthouse) because there’s court, there are people coming into that building to pay their taxes, to get their tags for their car, and to pay their water bills and things like that.”
A courtyard rests in the middle of the West and East towers and directly in front of the Education and Administration Building, and it is lined with parking spaces now utilized by city employees.
“The people who are disabled have to try and find a spot on Chapline Street that’s not taken up,” Lanham said. “But here, one of things that makes this ideal is that you are able to pull up to the building, and it’s all ADA accessible.
“That means your business transaction should be a smooth process,” he explained. “Instead of looking for parking space for four or five minutes, you’d be in and out, and then you could head down to Centre Market for a Coleman’s fish sandwich.”
Pandemic Safety
The city’s Water Department currently is located in a small space on the first floor of the county courthouse, and the Finance Department is situated across the hall. The remaining city offices are located on the third floor.
Lanham explained that offering more expansive workspaces for the employees is paramount because of the coronavirus pandemic. According to the Wheeling-Ohio County Health Department, a total of 419 positive COVID-19 cases, including nine probable cases and seven deaths have been reported, in Ohio County.
“Anyone who has ever been in the Water Department in the city-county building knows that it’s a pretty tight space, too,” Lanham said. “This will give those employees more room, and it has an area that we’ve been able to plan out for the meter readers so they will be able to be separate from the other staff members with the Water Department and the accounting department, too.
“I think we all know now that this virus is here and that people are still getting sick,” he said. “So, we’re taking steps to keep our people as safe as they can be while doing the important jobs that they do.”
A New Municipal Building?
The city of Wheeling currently pays annually $195,000 to the Ohio County Commission for approximately 18,000 square feet of space in the Ohio County Courthouse.
The departments located on the building’s third floor include human resources, the city manager’s office, the City Clerk, the legal department, Community and Economic Development, and Operations.
Could those departments move to the OVMC campus, as well?
“At this point, I don’t know if the city will move the offices to this building. That’s one of things that Bob has had me looking into,” Lanham explained. “How could this building be used? Could we lease the second floor? There is potential to lease the auditorium for classrooms. It gives us the flexibility to do a number of things.
“Plus, the hope is to have regional trainings with the police department, and that auditorium would be ideal with inter-agency trainings where you could have a number of different outfits in there,” he said. “There are number of different options that are being looked at right now.”
While no decisions have been made to this point, Lanham continues to gather the pros and cons for members of City Council to consider.
“That’s one of the things that Bob and the council will be exploring,” Lanham said. “Our city staff is reviewing the opportunities that we have here, and the utilities are a part of that. I think that’s one of things they weigh out because we do have a lot of storage area on the bottom floor, as well.
“The potential is there, and I know that this is the one building that really stands out,” he continued. “It could become a municipal building.”
Location. Location. Location.
The city of Wheeling’s Kurt Zende revealed to LEDE News last week that a large portion of the complex’s 800,000 square feet remain outfitted for various medical services, including the West Tower and the structure that housed the former Hillcrest Behavioral Health Services facility.
Zende, the city’s economic development specialist and the general manager of Centre Market, is now charged with the marketing and recruitment of new operations for the OVMC campus. Lanham believes Zende is pointed in the right direction when conversing with potential healthcare providers now that an equipment auction was late last week because of third-party interest.
“As far as the rest of this complex, I think the key is to find the right medical firm. That would be ideal,” the assistant city manager said. “With the City of Wheeling as the anchor here and with the police department across the street, the marketing would be more attractive to the right client. Plus, we are getting ready to invest $4 million to renovate the Center Wheeling Garage, so that means this property could be re-developed.
“That would continue the revitalization that we have seen with Centre Market,” he continued. “Centre Market is such a beautiful market space. It’s really exciting to see what it was and what it is today, so that is why it is important that great things happen here.”
The only building not included in the transaction between MPT, LLC and the city was the structure that housed the former Robert C. Byrd Child and Adolescent Behavioral Health Center. Lanham, though, believes the facility could reopen if and when “right medical firm” is discovered.
“I think the area here, the infrastructure that’s in place, and the way the buildings are designed make it just right for the right medical firm to come in,” Lanham said. “So, if the right group comes along, that could mean the Robert C. Byrd building could get put back to use. MPT kept that building, but maybe the right group could acquire it, too.
“There is a lot of potential here in this area,” he said. “So, I would think that would be one of things that would attract them. They would have the parking and they would have a short walk to go get lunch. It really is centrally located and that could be the magnet for a new developer to come in.”
