Council Briefs: Sewer system, wastewater treatment projects see nearly $3 million approved
Councilors approved millions in funds for projects at the city’s wastewater treatment plant and heard first readings of nearly $500k for new police vehicles and equipment.
WHEELING – Councilors met for their second city council meeting of the month on Tuesday, Aug. 19, where they unanimously approved millions of dollars in funding for sewer system and wastewater treatment plant projects. City leaders are also seeking a 38% increase in rates for water and sewer customers to help pay for improvements.
A handful of original propositions saw their first reading Tuesday night, too, including nearly $500,000 in requests for new vehicles and equipment for the Wheeling Police Department. To be considered at the body’s Sept. 2 meeting, the funds come as the city’s police department has received a significant amount of funding through disbursements from the state’s opioid settlement fund.
Sewer improvements, proposed rate increases…
As Wheeling works to modernize its water and sewer systems, councilors approved funding for new projects seeking to clean current components of the wastewater treatment plant and prepare for the design phase to install a new centrifuge. Three of the approved ordinances regarding sewer projects revolve around the city’s wastewater treatment plant – a site that treats sewer and stormwater from across the county and neighboring communities in Brooke, Marshall and Washington County, Pennsylvania.
One ordinance will see $382,640 spent with Verdantas Engineering, formerly CT Consultants, of Wheeling for wastewater treatment sludge and dewatering services at the plant, as well as centrifuge designs. This project seeks to remedy the ongoing costs of renting a centrifuge – a recurring cost to the city since April 2024 when the old centrifuge was damaged after back-to-back floods heavily damaged the plant.
Two more ordinances seek to clean the plant’s anaerobic digester – an important part of the wastewater treatment process that uses microorganisms to break down organic matter – and perform inspections, repairs and replacements as needed. These contracts total $332,250 with Mobile Solid Solutions of Somerset, Penn. and $1,330,630 with Grae-Con Construction, Inc. of Steubenville, Ohio.
City Manager Robert Herron said Tuesday that these cleanings typically occur every 10 to 15 years and should help reduce odors in the area – a frequent complaint from residents and travelers in the Center Market neighborhood – as well as prepare the plant for further remodeling efforts in the coming years.
The upfront cost of this work will be charged to the city’s Water Pollution Control Division and sewer bonds, but the debt incurred will be paid off in part by sewer customers. Members of the Public Works Committee heard a proposal to raise rates by 38%, which, reported by The Intelligencer, would see a $42.76 bill for 4,000 gallons of use rise to $57.62.
On top of funds approved for the wastewater treatment plant, a $947,500 contract with Savage Construction Co. of Wheeling was approved for stormwater and sewer improvements in the Greenwood area of Wheeling. The project is the latest in a slew of improvements made throughout the city to outdated combined sewer and stormwater systems.
Police seek $500,000 for new vehicles, equipment…
Councilors heard their first reading of several ordinances from the Wheeling Police Department seeking funds to purchase new vehicles and equipment to outfit them.
One ordinance requests nearly $285,000 for the purchase of four 2023 Dodge Charger Pursuit vehicles and three 2025 Ford Police Interceptor Utility vehicles, while another requests $38,506 for one 2024 Dodge Durango. As well, two ordinances, $133,000 ordinance for equipment and $33,350 for police cruiser radios, are being proposed to outfit new cruisers.
Yet another ordinance on the docket for council’s next meeting seeks approval for the use of $27,500 from a West Virginia First Foundation grant for the purchase of a vehicle for the department’s Crisis Response Unit.
These requests by the police for new vehicles come as the department has been awarded a significant portion of the city’s first disbursement of opioid settlement funds, as well as receiving nearly $500,000 from the state West Virginia First Foundation earlier this year.
Councilors will vote on requests for new police vehicles and equipment at their Sept. 2 meeting.
Housing in the headlights…
For several months, Fulton resident Carlee Dittmar has approached councilors during the public comment portion of meetings asking for “landlord checks” to occur throughout the city. In her various statements to members, Dittmar has listed several safety concerns brought to her by tenants in her community, including broken stairways, mold, inaccessible mailboxes and other issues she says landlords in the area were not addressing.
At a recent meeting, Dittmar alleged these issues have led to disabled tenants being trapped in their apartment and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development stopped payment of housing assistance to one woman after issues at her property were not addressed by the property owner.
Now, one councilor appears interested in making changes.
Councilor Ben Seidler, the ward representative for Fulton, among other neighborhoods, asked the city manager and legal department to look into making changes to current city law regarding code enforcement. As it stands, a request made by a tenant to code enforcers to inspect a property relies on landlord approval before entering the property.
“We certainly don’t want to make it painful for landlords if a tenant is just trying to get a free one, but there are certainly a number of complaints we’ve seen over the recent years that has been a point of contention, and these folks really do have a right to safe housing,” Seidler said Tuesday. “I can invite anybody I want over to my house to watch the Super Bowl – it doesn’t make sense to me from a legal perspective why we can’t invite code enforcement in if that were to happen.”
Seidler further urged tenants involved in disputes with their landlords to reach out to Legal Aid of West Virginia to help assess their needs and pursue legal remedy if necessary. As well, those wishing to make a complaint to the city’s code enforcement department can do so at wheelingwv.gov/311.
Ordinances and resolutions adopted…
Councilors adopted a dozen ordinances and resolutions at their Tuesday meeting, including:
$17,400 in American Rescue Plan Act, or ARPA, funds to Edgco. Inc. of Lansing, Ohio for the emergency demolition of 113 Ohio Street;
$117,358.13 with USI Insurance Services, LLC. of Virginia Beach, Va. for the city’s excess liability workers’ compensation policy;
$20,057.92 with Glessner, Wharton & Andrews Insurance, LLC. of Wheeling for cybersecurity insurance;
$27,000 with Centrisys of Kenosha, Wis. for the rental of a centrifuge for the wastewater treatment plant;
$947,500 in ARPA funds to Savage Construction Co. of Wheeling for Greenwood stormwater and sewer improvements;
$382,640 to Verdantas Engineering of Wheeling for wastewater treatment sludge and dewatering services and centrifuge design;
$32,899 with Cast and Baker Corp. of Canonsburg, Penn. for 11th Street paving;
$165,000 to the Greater Wheeling Sports and Entertainment Authority for WesBanco Arena concrete stair and landing replacements;
$322,250 to Mobile Solid Solutions of Somerset, Penn. for anaerobic digester cleaning, inspection, repair and valve replacement at the wastewater treatment plant;
$1,330,630 to Grae-Con Construction Inc. of Steubenville, Ohio for anaerobic digester cleaning, inspection, repair and valve replacement at the wastewater treatment plant;
A resolution entering into a lease agreement with the Degasperis family for use of a small grass lot at a cost of $1 per month; and,
A resolution revising the fiscal year 2025-26 general fund budget reflecting an mislabeled fund for the Arts and Cultural Commission.
Councilors will meet on Tuesday, Sept. 2 at 5:30 p.m. for their next council meeting.