It is a rendering of a welcome center, it is more than nine years old, and what is depicted in the image is not what will be constructed on the three parcels of property at the corner of 10th and Main streets in downtown Wheeling.
Those facts have been confirmed by Frank O’Brien, the executive director of the Wheeling Convention & Visitors Bureau who helped guide the purchase of the properties by the tourism organization in January for $1.7 million. The first steps include asbestos abatement and demolition, and then a plan for redevelopment will be designed with the assistance of the City of Wheeling and Wheeling Heritage.
But when an announcement was made 10 days ago by Wheeling Heritage concerning a contract in partnership with the Wheeling CVB and Tipping Point Real Estate Development to progress the “Wheeling Gateway Project,” a number of concerns were communicated in the thread that followed an initial comment made by Michael Duplaga III, owner of Generations Restaurant & Pub in the Fulton neighborhood of Wheeling.
The primary point made by the eatery owner was that the property should not be developed into a stand-alone welcome center but instead into commercial real estate with lodging and hospitality components included. He included in his comment:
“You simply tell the new hotel that as part of the deal (that) we need an area on the ground floor of the hotel/convention (center) to be used as a CVB location to pick up Visit Wheeling brochures and look at historical pictures.”
Duplaga’s Facebook post attracted nearly 60 comments supporting his alternative ideas, and O’Brien read each and every one of them.
“I do monitor social media so I can evaluate people’s comments, but instead of replying, I usually send emails or make phone calls so whatever discussion can continue that way,” O’Brien explained. “That’s what I did here – I reached out to Mike so we could discuss his ideas for the property.
“As far as the future of the property the CVB just purchased in downtown Wheeling, no official decisions have been made and nothing has been designed,” the CVB director confirmed. “The only thing I can tell you for sure is that when the time arrives to hire engineers and architects, we will hire local the best we can because they have a vested interest, too.”
Although the former motel structure still stands, O’Brien insisted much behind-the-scenes work has been completed during the last six months.
“There is a lot of due diligence that has been completed, but none of it has anything to do with the final concept and design. In fact, the rendering that’s been used recently is more than nine years old so what we do decide on likely will not be similar,” he confirmed. “We have much more to do before our renderings are completed.”
A Greenfield Gateway
Triton Construction, the general contractor selected to guide the $32 million downtown streetscape project, has established a “laydown” yard in the parking lots of the former Wheeling Inn, but that activity has not stopped individuals from trespassing and attempting to gain access to the interior of the one-time lodge.
In reaction, O’Brien has afforded Wheeling Police all access.
“We have had some issues at the hotel property with people trying to get inside the structure and with people hanging out outside the old building, and that’s why we’ve given the Wheeling Police Department full authority to do what they have to do to secure the property,” O’Brien reported. “There are a lot of people on and near the property during the day, buy the issues we’ve experienced have been during the nighttime hours.
“I’ve spoken to Chief (Shawn) Schwertfeger and to other officers who have been on the scene, and they now know they can do what they need to do,” he said. “If we find ways to secure it more, we’ll take those steps because we can’t have the activity taking place.”
The cost of the entire demolition process is more than $1 million, and O’Brien remains very motivated to flatten the parcels in favor of greenspace until final development decisions are made.
“The best thing we can do now is clear it and plant some grass,” O’Brien said. “Right now, we have a nice plan in place for the demo and we know now we’ll receive a lot of state and federal help with that portion of the overall project. But as far as what is there in the future, what we know now is that it is going to be a very valuable piece of property.
“We know we have to do the right thing with that property and that is why we are taking our time with those decisions. I know there have been a lot of opinions expressed online and we hope to have those same conversations with stakeholders and our citizens in the near future,” he said. “What that final decision is will be made by that group of people.”
No matter what, though, O’Brien assures history will be on display like never before on the corner of 10th and Main streets.
“One thing I will guarantee is that the northeast corner of the Wheeling Suspension Bridge will be visible for the first time in more than 100 years. No matter what will be built on that property, that corner of the bridge will be visible,” O’Brien said. “There’s a lot of space on that property so that is something I can say without any doubt.
“And let me say this carefully … our goal is to do the best thing possible with that space for our community,” O’Brien insisted. “We want to make sure the people who live here and visit here will be proud with that we do with that property. It will make a positive impact no matter what we decide, and I am taking nothing off the table. I will say the state does have some interest in something of a welcome center, but that doesn’t mean other amenities can’t be included.”
