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It is going to be long and one level with enough bays for all of the engines, ladder trucks, and the equipment currently scattered around the city, and Wheeling Fire Chief Larry Helms is pleased with the location in East Wheeling. The exact location, the chief said, for the $8 million fire department headquarters should be finalized in the near future, and construction should begin this summer. “The location will put us close to W.Va. Route 2 and Interstate 70, and it also will put us right in the middle of the area where this station needs to be,” Helms explained. “Plus, all of our research on the area indicates that it was residential in the past, and that’s it. It’s all moving way too slowly for me, but that’s only because I have been anxious for a while to get this accomplished for the future of the department. “The nuts and bolts of this project at this location are the negotiations for the property because the city does not own it,” he continued. “But we have been making progress, and I am happy for the future of the fire department because we have a great design that will be very productive and functional for many years.”

When 19th Street was the proposed location for a public safety building, this was the released rendering.

A Long-Time Need

Mayor Glenn Elliott joined Police Chief Shawn Schwertfeger and Chief Helms to instigate a citywide conversation about the need to replace the locations of both the police department and fire headquarters. The police department has operated out of a small space on the first floor of the Ohio County Courthouse since the late 1950s, and the fire headquarters has been located on the bottom level of the Center Wheeling Parking Garage since 1976. Initially, the mayor proposed a public safety building for both departments on the corner of 10th and Market streets with an increase in property taxes as the funding source, but that option was denied by voters in November 2018. Mayor Elliott and City Council members then developed a $2-per-week User Fee for all employees working within the city limits, and once approved, plans moved forward for a consolidated building along 19th Street in East Wheeling. That idea faded, however, once the city acquired the former Ohio Valley Medical Center Campus because the Valley Professional Center was deemed perfect for the new police headquarters. “We’ve been lucky because the last few councils and mayors have listened to our concerns and have wanted to do something about it,” Helms said. “But anyone who has worked for either department over the last 25 years has known the need for new, larger spaces because both departments have grown through the years.” As for the fire department, Helms recalls conversations with former Chief Cliff Sligar more than 20 years ago. “I know placing the headquarters here in Centre Market was the best solution city officials had at the time it moved here in the mid-1970s,” Helms said. “Chief (Cliff) Sligar was happy to move into here at the time because he was getting a new facility, but he also knew that it was going to become a burden over time. “Cliff made his concerns known, and I know Chief (Steve) Johnson really wanted a new headquarters at the 10th Street location,” he said. “But right now, we are looking at a very good area in East Wheeling that will be a good location to deploy our units and will give us better coverage on the interstates. That location likely will be a topic of conversation very soon so we can move forward.”

This is one parcel in East Wheeling that could be an option for the city of Wheeling for its new fire headquarters.

For the Future

New Coronavirus Information.

Ohio County EMA Director Lou Vargo will be a guest on The Watchdog (98.1 FM WKKX and 97.7 FM WVLY) at 3 p.m. to update local listeners are any new information or orders made by state and federal officials.

Testing Location Instructions.

Traffic Control: Once you enter Wheeling Park, FOLLOW the informational signs. Other motorists, golfers and park guests continue driving straight and park AWAY from the testing location. DO NOT WALK THROUGH TESTING FACILITIES. TESTING INFO: The testing is not for the general public. It is for at-risk patients who have a valid order from a physician.Roll up WindowsHave ID ReadyFollow Directions of on-site staff If you have questions, you may use the hospital’s COVID-19 number at 304-221-3995.

City Restaurants Receive Parking Assistance.

In light of West Virginia Governor Jim Justice’s mandate that all dine-in restaurants close due to the COVID-19 virus, the city of Wheeling will provide restaurants, where applicable and at no charge, with two metered parking spaces near their establishments for the purpose of take-out convenience. Interested parties should contact the city’s Finance Department at (304) 234-6472 to make arrangements for the parking meter bags.

Mil Acres Closed Again.

The city of Wheeling’s Public Works Department will again close Mil Acres Drive in Elm Grove for pump station repairs from 1-5 p.m., Thursday, March 19. Motorists should Kruger Street as the main detour.

Decision Made.

Following Tuesday’s announcement by Gov. Jim Justice of the first confirmed case of Coronavirus in West Virginia and his additional measures to contain its spread, Wheeling University has taken the additional steps that require all students to move off campus by 5 p.m. Sunday, March 22. The Wheeling University administration, faculty and staff will be available to assist students in moving from their residence halls to an environment where social distancing can be implemented successfully, the President added. The University has sent information to all students outlining the procedures for checking out of their residence hall. Those instructions can be found on the Wheeling University Coronavirus webpage.

Bars and Restaurants Open for Carry-Out Orders.

Those who are referred to the testing location by a doctor will not even have to get out of their cars or trucks, and that’s because Wheeling’s and Ohio County’s first-responder will team up with Wheeling Hospital staff to offer drive-thru testing from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. in the large parking lot at Wheeling Park. Two large, white tents have been erected by members of the Wheeling Fire Department near the pool area, and police officers will guide motorists to and through the testing areas. “This is a large project that’s been spearheaded by Wheeling Hospital, so a lot of credit has to go to them,” Gamble said. “The idea behind it is to take pressure off of their ER staff at the facility so those people can treat people in need of emergency services. So, this new off-site location will be at Wheeling Park in front of the pool area, and it will be a testing location for those referred there by their primary physicians. “The individuals who meet the testing criteria can be referred to that location, and the staff will first try to rule other illnesses out before testing them for COVID. Once the COVID test is performed, those materials are sent to the lab for testing,” he explained. “This is a big undertaking to pull off because of the testings that will take place when necessary. The tents were set up this afternoon by the Wheeling Fire Department, and when people come to that location, they will be directed where to go once they reach the front of the White Palace.”

When patients arrive at the Wheeling Park parking lot, this is what they will see while awaiting testing.

Isolated Location

Gamble explained the parking lot location was chosen so those seeking a test no longer need to visit Wheeling Hospital’s emergency room and because it’s an isolated area the Wheeling Park Commission permitted to be utilized. “In some parts of the state, people are using medical facilities for the testing, but the site that we’ll have starting tomorrow is at a wide-open location instead,” the health department administrator said. “Our place is isolated so no one has to walk through a place where people with signs and symptoms have gone.  It’s going to look like a large M*A*S*H unit, if you will, where you’ll be able to drive up, get the services, and then hopefully get out of there in a timely manner. “It might be tough in the very beginning because this is the first time any of us has had to do something like this,” he continued. “But we’ll learn from it and make the necessary adjustments and move forward.  But remember, it is for symptomatic individuals who have been referred to the location. This is not a mass- testing location for the general public. That’s being done in other parts of the country, but this location, right now, is for symptomatic patients only.”

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