Since taking possession of the OVMC campus, city officials have encountered both pleasant and not-so-pleasant surprises when it comes to building conditions and the calls of interest from private-sector businesses.
Wheeling Council members voted 6-0 in late June to approve the acquisition of the property that includes 800,000 square feet of space in seven buildings. The city plans to renovate the Valley Professional Center into a new police headquarters, but hopes to sell or lease the remaining structures in the near future.
“There continues to be interest in some of the properties on that campus, but right now the interest involves development on a small scale,” Herron said. “There are some possibilities on a large scale, but what we’re finding is that mostly it’s in a building and not the entire campus.
“What is interesting is that the building that is garnering the most interest is the South Tower, and that is a pleasant surprise,” he reported. “The building is in good condition, but it is old. It does have parking near the entrances, so that’s a positive, and it’s not the oldest building that’s on that campus. There is a good chance that the South Tower could become a viable, commercial building.”
Challenges, however, have been encountered.
“The Education and Administration Building has received attention. It does have some issues concerning heating and cooling that need addressed, but it won’t be as expensive as the West Tower will be,” Herron said. “The East Tower also has been a pleasant surprise, and that is the building that houses the original hospital. The interest that we have received about that building has mostly been about the first floor.
“I thought it was possible for there to be more issues with the original hospital, but now it’s not as urgent to address like I thought it might be,” the city manager said. “The West Tower, though, is a massive building that is going to be expensive to separate the utilities, and things like that. Overall, the campus is what we thought it would be.”
In the Future
The decision to acquire the campus from MPT, LLC, was made prior to Ben Seidler getting elected to represent Ward 2, but the councilman is encouraged with the amount of interest that has been communicated to this point.
His hope, though, is that the former medical facility will offer psychiatric care within the building once home to Hillcrest.
“I know the city is working hard to find a good use for the buildings,” he said. “I know there has been a good amount of interest from a number of different types of businesses.
“Obviously, we would love to see some sort of mental health, rehab, and other medical services here,” Seidler continued. “But the buildings are also well suited for office space.”
Police and Fire
The plan is in place to transform the Valley Professional Center, a structure that includes 36,000 square feet, into a new police headquarters, but the project will not take place until next year.
“The project at the Valley Professional Center is slated for a bid opening in mid-May 2021. I don’t think it will be a complete gutting, but it could be once it is looked at for the project,” Herron explained. “The building is very good condition, and so is the interior, but to configure a police department into that building is something that needs to be figured out.
“It’s definitely going to work for the police department, but the steps that need to be taken have to be determined,” he said. “Because there are not load-bearing walls inside, we’ll be able to create what we want for a new police headquarters.”
Wheeling Police Chief Shawn Schwertfeger has insisted the past several years that such a facility will benefit the department with recruiting and retention in the future, and Seidler agrees.
“I think the new police station will certainly boost morale and provide a lot more room for the resources the police department needs to remain productive and efficient,” he said. “I’ve toured the existing police station multiple times over the last few years, and it is a dark, cramped, dismal place where you can’t even use the restroom privately.
“I certainly would not want to work there, let alone eat my lunch on the same table the officer before me just tested for fentanyl on,” Seilder continued. “I have no doubt that this new facility will contribute to not only the recruitment of new officers, but the retention of our existing officers. There are many reasons that this new police facility will be a big win for our city.”
The OVMC campus and the soon-to-be purchased acreage along 19th Street in East Wheeling are not site under consideration for a new fire department headquarters, Herron said.
“We don’t have a site identified for the new fire headquarters yet, but the OVMC and 19th Street property are not considered options,” the city manager explained. “Right now, we’re starting the conceptual work for a new fire station headquarters, and once we get into that, we’ll start seriously looking at a few properties.
“The target areas for the headquarters have not changed, and that’s why we are looking in Center Wheeling, downtown, North Wheeling, and East Wheeling so it can be centralized,” Herron added. “The project involving the renovations for the station houses around the city is now in design phase, and we are making the list of everything that needs done at each location.”
