By unanimous vote earlier today by the six members of Wheeling Council and Mayor Glenn Elliott, the decision to either take possession of the OVMC campus property or pass on the deal was again tabled until the next regular meeting set for June 16 at 5:30 p.m.
That decision obviously was fine with Ward 2 Councilman Ken Imer because on Monday during an interview Monday afternoon on The Watchdog (98.1 FM WKKX and 97.7 FM WVLY) the representative remained undecided.
“I am still tossing the whole thing around in my head,” Imer said. “I was asked recently if the city really wants to be in the real estate business? And it was a good point, I thought, and I say that knowing that the city owns a lot of city properties because it’s been approved by mayors and council members, or because people have just abandoned the properties.
“But the OVMC campus is different, and it would be a huge project that the city would take on,” he said. “There are good buildings involved, but there are the others that might now have a future. It’s a big decision.”
Potential
The first phone call only concerned the Valley professional Center on Chapline Street because a police department and city offices could be a nice fit. The owner, MPT Inc., countered with an-all-or nothing proposal.
A part of the deal with the former operator of the OVMC operations, Alecto, involved the city financing the demolition of the former nurses’ quarters and $3 million renovation of the city’s Center Market Parking Garage. If the city were to agree with this, the razing still would need performed, and so would the garage renovation.
The condition of the top tower, the structure that still features the OVGH signage, likely is the most concerning liability involved. In such a situation, demolition would be likely.
“It is an old, historic building, and there would be resistance, I’m sure,” Imer said. “We did tour all of the buildings, and most of it looked like it was in decent shape. But I didn’t see the guts of the buildings. Some of the interiors of the buildings are nicer than the others, but the oldest one just doesn’t look like it’s in the greatest condition, and that is concerning to me.
“When you walk through, you see the potential, and it is there,” he continued. “But the biggest problems for me is if we want to spend the money to make it what you really want it to be? Plus, if you put money into this building and that building to make it what it needs to be, there’s still money that would have to be put into them because they are still older buildings. It’s a big decision.”
Then There Is the What If?
There is the chance MPT could sell the campus to another suitor, and that possibility makes Imer nervous because of the impact it could have on the Center Wheeling community.
In Elm Grove, East Wheeling, Wheeling Island, and Woodsdale, there are rotting parcels that hinder property values for others in those areas, and those scenarios are on Imer’s mind.
“That could be a problem, and that’s one of the unknowns right now that I don’t have an answer for right now,” Imer said. “There are some people who would do such a thing out of spite, and it would not be a very bad thing for that area of Wheeling. That situation would create huge problems, and it is something that is on my mind, too.
“We know the owners of the campus are no longer interested in owning it anymore. That was their decision, and that is why they have offered what they have offered to the city of Wheeling,” he said. “I know I am only one vote, but I have always taken that very seriously no matter what the decision has been during the eight years I’ve been a member of City Council.”
