The long-anticipated remediation of the Wheeling Gateway Center is set to commence on Wednesday, July 10, which will be the first step into realizing the complete demolition of the former Wheeling Inn.
The city has issued a notice to proceed to Raze International, LLC, the demolition company overseeing the project, and the perimeter of the site has been secured with construction fencing.
Prior to mobilization, Raze filed a 10-day notification with the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (WVDEP), and has submitted a hazardous materials removal plan, which is being overseen by the project’s environmental engineers, Boggs and Montrose. Notification letters were also sent to the neighboring properties.
“Our team is fully committed to executing this project with the highest standards of safety and efficiency,” said Debbie Brown, President of Raze International. “We appreciate the city and state’s support and collaboration as we embark on this important endeavor, especially with the on-going Streetscape road project.”
On Wednesday at 12 p.m., the awning of the Wheeling Inn will be demolished for the purposes of providing adjacent truck access next to the former motel rooms, which will make it easier for crews to clean out the building. The media is invited to the site at this time, where they can set up to cover this first official remediation effort.
“We are expecting an 8 week cleanup process and we will have our environmental engineers monitoring the work, said Frank O’Brien executive director of the Wheeling-Ohio County Convention Visitors Bureau. “We’re putting the project through the State’s Voluntary Remediation Program so that we can receive official documentation that certifies the clean-up was handled safely and properly.”
O’Brien continued, “We ask for the community’s continued support and patience during these construction activities, and to be careful when driving near the site as vehicles are entering and leaving the project site.”
Following the remediation and approvals to proceed by the State’s DEP, the building is expected to begin physical demolition in early September, and a groundbreaking celebration will be announced later this summer.
Tipping Point is in the process of launching a live stream of the remediation and demolition process, so the community can take witness and celebrate progress of this historic moment for Wheeling’s gateway into downtown. The start time of the live stream will be announced on Tipping Point’s social media accounts.
The Wheeling Gateway Center is a key redevelopment project aimed at creating a new heritage and visitor’s experience near the historic suspension bridge, which is at the primary entrance to downtown Wheeling, WV.
The State of West Virginia’s Department of Tourism is working closely with the Wheeling-Ohio County Convention Visitors Bureau to establish final design concepts, which are anticipated to be released to the public in late summer or early fall.
For more details and ongoing updates on the Wheeling Gateway Center project, please visit the Wheeling Gateway Center Community Hub.
