Wheeling Councilman Ben Seidler has no idea how much debris may be hauled off of Wheeling Island later this month, but he is asking for all residents to actively participate in any way they can.
“That even includes the people who are renters,” he said. “They may not own the property where they live, but I am sure they don’t want to live in an ugly place because, right now, that’s what we have here.
“When I first moved to Wheeling Island a few years ago, I had no idea this issue even existed, but then it hit close to home,” he recalled. “After I decided to run for Ward 2, I really started a taking hard look on both the south and north ends, and it has to stop. That’s the ultimate goal for this year’s clean-up.”
The date for the Wheeling Island Clean-Up is April 24 between 7:30 a.m. through noon, and Seidler foresees some residents continuing into the evening hours. Eden Family Restaurant will serve a free breakfast at the beginning of the day; Abbey’s will serve lunch to all volunteers at 11:30 a.m., and then Undo’s will donate dinner that will be served at a location to be determined.
“I know there are going to be a lot of people who worked very hard on the 24th because they want the same thing I do,” the Council representative said. “But we need each and every person on this island who genuinely cares to see this island restored. I hope they begin to speak up each and every day, in a respectful but safe way, and start encouraging, asking, and helping neighbors, where it is within their means, to take some initiative to start cleaning it up. It is beyond overdue where neighbors walk or drive past these dilapidated properties and just accept that it will always be like this.
“Nobody, and I mean nobody, on this island has a right to destroy our property values by throwing junk all over theirs,” Seidler continued. “But that is what has happened over the course of the last decade or so from what my neighbors have told me, so we have to work together to turn it back around and keep it that way.”
The Island Life
The city has experienced population decline when more than 61,000 residents lived in Wheeling in the 1940s, and between 1980 and 2000, more than 17,000 citizens have moved away or died.
The primary reason for the loss of so many people has been the economy in the Upper Ohio Valley since manufacturing shifted from the United States to other countries where labor was not as expensive. One of the ripple effects of the population decline is readily visible on most Wheeling Island streets, and that is abandoned, dilapidated residential and commercial structures.
“We have hundreds of them throughout the city, and a lot of them are here on Wheeling Island,” Seidler explained. “I can remember when I was growing up in Wheeling how I always thought it would be cool to live on Wheeling Island because I’m a fan of the Ohio River. That’s one of the reasons why I bought my house here, too, but the lack of respect that so many property owners have these days has become a big issue.
“That is why I will continue to share the word that Wheeling Island has incredible potential and those of us that live here, work here, and play here are not invisible and are no longer being ignored,” he said. “I see you, Wheeling City Council sees you, and the entire city of Wheeling sees you. At this point, Wheeling Island has all the attention, and it is now up to us as the residents here to take the hand-off and embrace it.”
Team Effort
Seidler, though, can’t accomplish his goals by himself.
Although he has worked diligently to keep his campaign promises to the residents of Wheeling Island, North Wheeling and Glenwood neighborhoods, Seidler has learned that it is going to take more than a single day. That is why this weekend he is encouraging Wheeling Island residents to empty all debris from their homes for pick up Monday and Tuesday.
“People have told me time and time again over the last few years, ‘Thanks for what you are doing here, Ben. Let me know how I can help,’” he said. “Well, this is it, and I am asking every single resident on Wheeling Island to sign up to help. If you are not physically able to, then I am asking you to sit out on your front porch on this day and cheer every single neighbor you see doing what they can to take back Wheeling Island.
“If you can do nothing beyond calling a neighbor between now and April 24 to simply share the date and then daydream for a moment with them about what our neighborhood might be again. That is what I am not only asking you to do, but imploring you to do,” Seidler added. “I can make all kinds of strides toward restoring our neighborhood, but I need real help from real people to get the word out. I need real help from real people to show up on April 24.”
