Council Condensed: Sklavounakis calls for public input, ordinances passed and more...
Wheeling's City Council met on Sept. 3 to discuss new ordinances, development projects in the city and upcoming dates for the public to be aware of. Here's what you may have missed.
WHEELING – City Council held their fifth meeting of the year and approved several ordinances, discussed development projects in the city and put an open call out for community input on several issues facing the body.
Community input requested…
Vice Mayor Jerry Slavounakis called on his constituents to express their support or opposition to several issues facing the council. Citing Private Outdoor Designated Area, or PODA, and an anti-panhandling and anti-jaywalking ordinance and the city’s 10-year comprehensive plan, Sklavounakis urged residents to reach out before it’s too late.
“I’m not a soothsayer. I can’t read your minds,” Sklavounakis said.
Sklavouankis, speaking about the potential Vehicle and Pedestrian Safety ordinance–which would largely curtail jaywalking but is intended to curb panhandling in the city–says 10 out of 10 people who have reached out to him have expressed their support. If you disagree, he said to reach out “before the fact…not after the fact.”
Councilor Tony Assaro and Councilor Dave Palmer each added that community crime watch meetings are a venue for residents to “keep your neighborhoods safe” and for councilors to “find out what is going on” in the community. You can find your community’s crime watch meeting here.
Citizens interested in contacting their councilor or mayor should follow this link to do so. As well, citizens can contact their executive, City Manager Robert Herron, at this link. Residents have the ability to address the council during their meetings. To do so, residents should sign-up to speak no later than 5:15 p.m. on the day of the meeting.
Development in a deindustrialized city…
During a Development Committee meeting before council, Herron said the city had proposed adding 12th Street between Main Street and Water Street to the Streetscape project. Currently, the half-block area is not included in the broader $35 million project funded by the West Virginia Division of Highways.
“There’s a gap between where [the Streetscape project] stopped and Water Street where the sidewalks aren’t in very good condition,” Herron said. The proposed addition would cost an additional $187,732 and include new trees, planters and sidewalks. The city would be on the hook for these added costs.
Herron said the Center Wheeling parking structure’s above ground demolition would be completed by the week of Sept. 9, with material from the demo compacted, separated and recycled for future use. He noted the project was ahead of schedule, citing an original completion date of spring 2025.
The Market Street parking structure is slated to open on Friday, Sept. 13. Herron said the project has 300 parking spots with 115 of those already rented. When asked what the fee to park would be, Herron had no direct answer saying it would be a “typical” fee.
With the parking structure’s completion imminent, 11th Street, linking Chapline Street to Market Street, has reopened after nearly three years. The site will feature three retail locations, but Herron says no tenants have been identified.
The Wheeling Pitt lofts project was briefly mentioned, signaling that the project may not be dead just yet. The Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel building was West Virginia’s first high-rise office building when it opened in 1907. Since 2013, the historic building has sat empty.
City leaders in 2021 announced a partnership with Coon Restoration to convert the building into 100 loft apartments, but that project has seen little movement since then due to ever-rising costs. The Market Street parking structure, located on the same block as the Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel building, was built in large part for prospective tenants of the property.
Palmer asked the city manager to look into restriping roads across the city. He cited the recent work to Junior Avenue in Elm Grove saying the road markings have already faded. Herron said he would look into it.
Ordinances passed, ordinances proposed…
Two traffic rules were adopted by the council–the addition of a handicap parking meter at 26 15th Street, where the Ohio County Magistrate Court is located, and a loading zone at the rear of 1060 Chapline Street.
Three ordinances related to April flooding damage at the wastewater treatment plant were approved totaling $78,425. In total, the council has approved over $2.1 million in repairs to the plant. The city manager has previously said these expenses will be eligible for full reimbursement, but no update has been given regarding the process.
City council approved $704,000 of American Rescue Plan Act funding for storm sewer improvements to Gaewood Avenue and $37,041 for water department “Well 5” casing repairs.
A brief description of the Gaewood Avenue project was held, but Herron came to the meeting unprepared to give a full detail of the $700k project. Still, it passed unanimously.
Seven ordinances were proposed for consideration at the council's upcoming Sept. 17 meeting. Four ordinances relate to repairs at the wastewater treatment plant Two more seek emergency funding for demolitions of 2601 Eoff Street and 1066, 1068 and 1070 McColloch Streets. The latter three properties were condemned after a June 8 fire ravaged the buildings. The final proposed ordinance seeks $71,625 of ARPA funds for the construction of a pickleball court at the Patterson Sports Complex in Elm Grove.
Those wishing to be heard…
Rebecca Stone of Triadelphia addressed council over her concerns of the vacant property fines a property of hers has received. She says the condition of the condemned property beside hers has made it difficult to sell the property, or begin renting it out as was her original plan. Still, Stone says utilities are active and that someone is on site eight hours a day, five days a week.
Several properties have been targeted for vacant property fines in a city struggling to attract new residents. One of the perks for outlanders is potential investment opportunities in cheap, older properties. Still, the city appears to have ramped up enforcement of its vacant property fines leading some people to withdraw their investments altogether.
Commentary on council…
The Wheeling City Council continues to be a streamlined meeting rather than a substantive session. While it’s not expected for every meeting to be long, Wheeling Free Press believes meetings should be informative. The residents of this city deserve to hear from their elected, and non-elected, leaders.
Herron could not answer several questions posed to him about work ongoing in the city. That’s troubling, considering the people of this city have just two opportunities to hear from their un-elected executive. Herron could not answer a question about the Gaewood Avenue sewer project despite its adoption on Sept. 3. When asked about the cost to park at the Market Street parking structure, Herron again had no direct answer.
Dates mentioned by council…
Sept. 11, 2024 – 12:00 p.m. – Heritage Port – Commemoration of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
Sept. 12, 2024 – 5:30 p.m. – White Palace, Wheeling Park – Public meeting on Wheeling’s Comprehensive Plan
Sept. 14, 2024 – 11:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. – Oglebay – Oglebay Fall Food Truck Festival
Jan. 28, 2025 – 12:00 p.m. – Wheeling Island Casino – Mayor Denny Magruder’s State of the City address.
Looking forward…
Council will hold their next city council meeting on Sept. 17 at 5:30 p.m. Residents wishing to address the council should arrive before 5:15 p.m. and sign-up at the desk upon entering.