The system is simple, believes Wheeling’s Tony Assaro. He was elected by the voters in the Ward 1 area of Wheeling to represent them, and that’s exactly what he believes he’s offered since he was sworn in on July 1, 2024.
These days, that pertains to the purchase and development of the former Centre Foundry property along River Road/Warwood Avenue as well as all other issues pertaining to the Warwood, North Park, and Glenwood areas.
His vote is their vote.
“I walked into the meeting feeling that something’s certainly better than nothing,” Assaro said. “It might not make a difference to them, but it makes a difference to us, so that was a positive.
“I remember when this bomb dropped on us out of nowhere when this project was announced (incorrectly), and we had the meeting at the Warwood Vets. Del. Fluharty was there and told us everything he knew about House Bill 2014,” he explained. “The one thing that the people wanted was to have a say about how the city moved forward with it, so I promised they would have input.
“They’ve got skin in the game here. It’s their lives, it’s their homes, it’s their quality of life. They should have a say in it.”
That’s why, according to Assaro, more than 20 Warwood residents were in attendance last week for City Council regular meeting on September 15th.
And they didn’t like it, according to the councilman.
“The residents didn’t have much time to chew on (the MOU), and they didn’t like it. They weren’t comfortable with it,” Assoaro explained. “A lot of my residents came in there (to City Council chambers) to tell me they wanted a ‘No’ vote on this. I kept my promise. They wanted me to vote ‘No’, and that’s how I voted.
“I don’t want to sound like I’m endorsing (the MOU) because I’m not,” he said. “It’s better than without it in place, in my opinion, but the residents overwhelmingly said to vote against during the meeting. There were 20-plus Warwood residents I recognized at the meeting, and they were all thumbs down.”
On the Books
Initially, a sub-contractor for Silicon Foundry announced on LinkedIn in June that the industrial site would be converted into a data center. A big data center. The kind of data center that has consumed as much as 100 acres in other areas.
Once Andrii Garanin, the CEO of Silicon Foundation, heard about the erroneous posting, he publicly corrected in meeting with city officials and during the “Novotney Now” radio program. But it was too late.
“When that announcement was made, it alarmed everyone in the Warwood area, and rightfully so,” Assaro said. “I’m glad we got it straight eventually, and it’s better than what was thought of at first, but it’s still something where we won’t know what we have until the place actually starts operating.
“On that memorandum of understanding, there was some talk about it getting negotiated back and forth, and there’s been some, but the city had no leverage,” he said. “That’s because Silicon Foundation could go into operation with or without it. There’s little to no difference for them going forward. They can with it or without it.
“It helps the city because the (MOU) will allow them to expand the TIF for (future) economic development because the project doesn’t come under (House Bill) 2014. If it did, it would fall under a whole different tax structure.”
For the project to fit under House Bill 2014, Silicon’s server capacity would have to reach the 90–100-megawatt level, but Garanin explained during a public question-and-answer session with City Council in August that the facility is not expected to reach those levels.
The tech campus, however, will be regulated by a number of city ordinances already on the books.
“Now that we know this project is a city development, our ordinances come into play, and there ae ordinances that pertain industrial sites. There’s a sound level limit for the daytime, and another limit for the evening,” Assaro explained. “There are several others that concern pollution and safety, and we’re getting a list together so everyone involved can review them.
“We’re dealing with unknowns, and we’re stuck in a situation where we’re all hoping for the best, but we have to prepare for the worst,” he added. “It’s not as bad as previously thought, (but that) doesn’t make it good.”
