Talks have taken place and memorandums of understanding have been signed by the city of Wheeling and interested entities, and that is why City Manager Bob Herron believes progress continues on the campus of the former Ohio Valley Medical Center (OVMC).
One of the MOUs is with Bluefield State College and involves the possible establishment of an engineering branch at the Center Wheeling property, but Herron also has had some discussions about possible building purchases.
“Everything is going fine at this point. Although nothing has been finalized yet, there is still a lot of interest in the OVMC campus,” the city manager confirmed. “Part of our due diligence is the potential acquisition, and there have been entities who have expressed some interest in exploring acquisition.
“I would not say that one building is more popular than the others,” Herron said. “The buildings themselves are in good shape. They all require different levels of work, but the structures are structurally sound. We have had the heat and the power going to all of the buildings, so they are not deteriorating.”
Inventory of Space
The original Ohio Valley General Hospital is now referred to as the East Building, and the West Tower was OVMC when Alecto-West Virginia suddenly shuttered the medical facility more than a year ago. One of the newest structures on the campus is where Hillcrest Behavior Health operated, the South Tower was filled with everything from cancer care to sleep studies, and the Education and Administration Building sits in the center of it all.
Initially, the former Nurse’s Residence, a two-building structure, was doomed for demolition, but economic development specialist Kurt Zende reported months ago the razings may not take place if a developer expresses interest. Each structure is a different age with unique needs, according to the city manager.
Those buildings, along with the Valley Professional Center on Chapline Street, total approximately 800,000 square feet.
“The buildings on the campus have different levels of investment that would be required if purchased,” Herron explained. “All of the buildings on the campus are pretty large buildings, and there will be more space in the building where Hillcrest operated because Northwood will be leaving this summer when their new facility to ready to move into.
“Right now, Northwood operates on the first floor and in basement of that building, so when they move out, it will double the amount of square footage that will be available there,” he said. “We have been in discussions with Helping Heroes about that structure, but it’s premature to comment on what the agreement could include in the future.”
Long Overdue HQ
Most often when he was addressing the Wheeling Police Department’s need for a new headquarters, Chief Shawn Schwertfeger often presented city citizens with a harsh reality.
“Because of how limited we are in our current headquarters, our officers have to sort through confiscated drugs, included fentanyl, on the same table where many of them eat their lunches.”
More often than not, those listening simply shook their heads because they were surprised or disgusted.
But then Councilman Dave Palmer, a retired Wheeling firefighter who now represents the city’s Ward 6, suggested city officials contact Medical Properties Trust, or MPT, to inquire about the possible purchase of the vacant Valley Professional Center. When the city manager made contact with an MPT official, he was surprised that the Trust offered nearly the entire campus to the city for far less than market value.
Although Herron did not often a solid timeline for a $4-million renovation to transform the former house of a plethora of doctor’s office into the new police headquarters, the city manager did confirm the process is moving forward.
“The specification for the renovation of the Valley Professional Center are now 95 percent complete, and a final review will take place (this) week,” Herron said. “Once that takes place, the plans will be submitted to the state fire marshal. The goal is to have this project ready to go to bid by May 17.
“That doesn’t mean the project will go to bid then, but the goal is to have it ready by that time,” he explained. “When the project begins will depend on when we sell the bonds, and then there are a certain number of months it will take to perform the renovations. The annual revenue is there because of the User Fee, so the process is moving along.”
