Council discusses PODA, parking enforcement, and more
The Wheeling City Council and its committees held back-to-back meetings to discuss the Clay School, PODA, and virtual parking enforcement, among other issues.
WHEELING – The Wheeling City Council met Tuesday, Jan. 21 for a slew of committee meetings and their regular business meeting. Open discussion was held about proposed ordinances, allowing the public to view debate in a markedly transparent way.
Clay School demolition moves forward
The council’s Health and Recreation Committee recommended the Clay School, located on the corner of 15th and Wood streets in the city’s East Wheeling neighborhood, be demolished. This comes after the council’s Finance Committee recommended its demolition in December.

Tipping Point Development of Canfield, Ohio, the lead contracted developer on the project, announced on Jan. 13 that the city planned to build a “new multi-purpose recreation center” that will “serve seniors and children while integrating community spaces like J.B. Chambers Memorial Recreation Park and the Nelson Jordan Center.” City Manager Robert Herron confirmed this report, stating a study would occur to investigate a “new recreation center” for the site.
Councilor Connie Cain, who chairs the committee and whose home abuts the school, has voiced her concerns that East Wheeling community members would be “locked out” of the property, but her colleagues assured her that would not happen.
The issue will now move to the full council’s consideration where demolition is all but assured. Council will have the final say on what the property is used for moving forward.
Full story: Clay School inches closer to demolition
PODA expected to come to Wheeling
Members of the Rules Committee met and gave their approval to move forward on an ordinance establishing Private Outdoor Designated Areas, or PODA, in the city of Wheeling. This ordinance would allow people to walk with alcoholic beverages between businesses and on public property in along Water, Main, Market, and Chapline streets in downtown Wheeling, and along Main and Market streets in the Centre Market area.

First introduced by Councilor Ty Thorngate in August, the ordinance appears on track to be approved in February. The city council heard a first reading of the ordinance at Tuesday’s meeting.
The West Virginia Legislature empowered municipalities to create PODAs in 2023. Since then, the cities of Huntington, Charleston, Morgantown, and Parkersburg have adopted PODA legislation. In neighboring Ohio, a similar program known as Designated Outdoor Refreshment Areas, or DORA, has been approved in the village of Bellaire and the city of St. Clairsville.
Council could approve its PODA ordinance at their Feb. 4 meeting.
Full story: Wheeling moves forward on PODA ordinance
Parking enforcement goes digital
During the council’s Rules Committee, Herron and City Solicitor Rosemary Humway-Warmuth presented to council potential amendments to the city’s parking ordinances. Their goal is to codify license plate recognition (LPR) technology to enforce parking regulations and extend free parking throughout the city’s downtown.

In recent years, the city’s parking meters in its downtown were removed as part of a multi-million dollar Streetscape project. Rather than reinstalling the meters, city officials chose to move towards free parking zones. Zones range in permitted time from 15, 30, and one hour parking with the majority permitting two hours.
While many have welcomed the free parking zones, business owners have expressed their concern that motorists are not abiding by the two hour restrictions. “What’s happening now is, on Main Street, particularly where the Streetscape was completed, we’re finding cars that are parking there all day,” Herron said. Herron explained the purpose of meters is not necessarily about generating revenue, but to increase turnover.
To generate turnover, the city will utilize two 2024 Nissan Leaf electric vehicles and LPR technology to virtually chalk cars. If a parked car remains in a zone after the allowed time, a ticket would be issued. City officials say their goal is to launch the program by mid-March.
Councilors also discussed potentially raising the minimum fine from $10 to $20.
Wheeling Police awarded state opioid settlement funds
During his report to council, Herron yielded time to Chief of Police Shawn Schwertfeger to discuss a $463,000 award from the West Virginia First Foundation for a Crisis Intervention Training (CIT) collaborative.

Schwertfeger explained the initiative will help train law enforcement officers, emergency medical service personnel, and 911 dispatchers, and others to recognize mental illness and substance abuse disorders in an effort to de-escalate encounters and provide support for individuals.
“I can tell you that I was first exposed to Crisis Intervention Training in Virginia as a police officer,” Schwertfeger said. “[We] saw a 40% reduction in overall use of force from our police staff. And once we implemented [CIT] here in Wheeling, we saw similar numbers. So I know it works as a fact.”
The Wheeling Police Department has implemented CIT since 2015 and has “embedded peers” at the department, a first for the state of West Virginia. Schwertfeger explained these peers are on call 24/7 and often respond to calls alongside law enforcement officers.
Schwertfeger explained Wheeling often visits police departments throughout the state to provide training on how to adopt similar CIT and embedded peer programs at their departments.
Ordinances Passed; Ordinances Proposed
Members of council adopted a few ordinances and resolutions at their Tuesday meeting, including;
A renewed agreement with Century Realty , LLC of Wheeling for marketing of the Market Street parking structure’s first-floor retail space;
$95,331 to Atlantic Emergency Solutions of Manassas, Va. for rescue equipment for the Wheeling Fire Department Station 2.
$75,254 with Contractors Connection, LLC of Washington, Penn. for a excavator for the city’s Operations Department; and,
A resolution renaming the pickleball courts at the Patterson Ballfield to “Pat Carroll Pickleball Courts.”
At their next meeting, councilors will consider adopting their PODA ordinance and the purchase of a pickup truck for the water pollution control division, among other items.
City of Champions
During his report, Mayor Denny Magruder recognized the Wheeling University women’s rugby team, in attendance that night, for their National Collegiate Rugby Division 1 championship title. “Wheeling is a championship city tonight,” Magruder said of the team’s victory.

Their inaugural season, the Lady Cardinals finished with a 12-0 record and averaged 54.4 points per game. These successes led the women to victory in December after defeating Southern Nazarene University with a score of 58-17. Ken Pape, Wheeling University’s women’s rugby coach, said he was proud to represent the city of Wheeling on a national stage.
Members of council were presented with a signed jersey to commemorate the victory.
The Wheeling City Council will meet again on Tuesday, Feb. 4, at 5:30 p.m.