When reporter Alan Olsen from the local newspapers interviewed Mayor Glenn Elliott following Wheeling Council’s regular meeting Tuesday, his quoted words made it obvious he’s fully up to speed with the history of the three-acre property along 19th Street in East Wheeling, its owner, and with current public opinion.
The land in question was once industrial for more than a century, and when federal regulations pertaining to chemical use and disposal were not in place. No one cared about asbestos once upon a time ago let alone what chemicals were utilized to manufacture products in heavy demand. Lifelong Wheeling resident Chris Hamm, a candidate for the mayor’s position, warned the mayor and members of Council during that same meeting because, well, he worked there, and he watched people die of mysterious cancers. Hamm stated he wants to protect the Wheeling firefighters, who would need to reside at a new public safety building as part of their duty to the city, and yes, that’s a very good thing for a candidate to say.
Abatement
“We know there’s bad stuff in there, but there are ways to abate that land, put a layer beneath the soil and the concrete which will last a lifetime… . It adds to the cost, but it achieves the abatement needed.”
Not my words, and not Hamm’s. Olsen quoted the mayor as saying such, and he acknowledged that he, his council, and we User Fee payers are dealing with a poisoned property.
Sure, brownfield remediation is absolutely possible, but it is often absolutely very expensive. The city has applied for a $1 million federal grant for the work, but even if the funds are awarded to the municipality, there exists no guarantee it would be enough to cover the full expense because no one seems to know just how contaminated the land is at this time.
Problem Property
“We know the property is a problem. Part of the issue that I think is not given attention is that if the city does not address this property through this process, it will fall to a future city council to address it. It’s not going to go away. The private sector is not going to jump on that anytime soon.”
Again, not my words, but instead another quote the mayor supplied the newspaper reporter that displays clearly the elected official understands three important facts: 1) The property has been a problem for many years, and the property owner has been summoned to municipal court on several occasions; 2) The problem property and the dilapidated structures that continue to crumble on it are not soon to vanish; and 3) The current owner will do nothing with it except to sell it to the city or the next sucker that comes along.
Council and the mayor entered into an option-to-purchase agreement
to be able to apply for the federal funds and to gain legal access to the land, and the deal in place calls for a $150,000 price tag unless Wheeling officials are finally successful with gaining support from our nation’s capital. If that’s the case, the property owner would receive a grand total of $345,000.
“I recognize that people are upset at the notion of (Calabrese) getting a payout here … .”
Mayor Elliott is correct again, and all the facts above that he has publicly acknowledged are why so many of the city’s taxpayers are revolting. It’s not because Wheeling citizens fail to realize the need because we do. The fire chief and the police chief have made it very clear recently and during the first campaign that concerned a failed property tax levy.
The Short List
So here is a short list of questions that, if answered, could allow more voters to support instead of disapprove:
- How can an appraisal be performed without updated environmental testing be used to set the official sale price?
- Why wouldn’t the cost of remediation and demolition be deducted from the price of the property?
- And that inquiry leads us to this question: Why not use eminent domain?
We just want to understand the deal and why it has progressed in the manner it has since late last year. This process could be normal for all we know, but see, that’s the crux of the issue.
Educate, please, but it wouldn’t be good to lecture voters weeks away from Election Day.
