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City Planning $1.5M Repairs to Center Wheeling Garage

Alecto to lease facility after taking over OVMC

City officials are working on a plan to complete $1.5 million worth of capital improvements to the Center Wheeling parking garage. Alecto Healthcare Services would then lease the facility as part of the purchase of Ohio Valley Medical Center. Photo by Casey Junkins

WHEELING — Mayor Glenn Elliott said the condition of the Center Wheeling parking garage is an important factor for Alecto Healthcare Services in the Irvine, Calif.-based firm’s ongoing efforts to purchase and operate Ohio Valley Medical Center.

With the 830-space parking garage in need of an estimated $1.5 million worth of repairs, including replacement of the existing elevators, city leaders plan to transfer ownership of the facility so that Alecto can lease the building for $1 per year. City leaders hope to fund much of the renovation work through a planned tax increment financing district, although Elliott said the city is still waiting for the West Virginia Development Office to approve the new TIF zone.

Wheeling City Council members will vote on a memorandum of understanding involving the city, its development arm, the Ohio Valley Area Development Corp., and Alecto during a 5:30 p.m. Tuesday meeting on the first floor of the City-County Building, 1500 Chapline St.

“Updating and upgrading the garage is important to Alecto, as part of their plans for the hospital,” Elliott said. “Many people associate the hospital with the garage, so they know it will reflect on them.”

A bridge spans Chapline Street to connect the six-level garage to OVMC. Those who park in the garage to enter the hospital can do so for free, provided they receive validation in the hospital.

Earlier this year, Alecto announced plans to acquire both OVMC and Martins Ferry’s East Ohio Regional Hospital from Ohio Valley Health Services and Education Corp. Alecto officials now hope to complete the transaction by the end of this month.

Elliott said the city’s primary goal in helping Alecto is to keep as many jobs in Wheeling as possible. He emphasized the city’s fire department will continue to use the Market Street side of the garage for its headquarters.

According to the memorandum, the city will transfer ownership of the garage to the ADC in a $2 million transaction. The ADC is a nonprofit entity that Wheeling uses to facilitate property deals, in accordance with West Virginia Code.

Once the ADC owns the facility, the garage improvements will begin. Officials estimate the cost of the work at $1.5 million, with a significant portion of this going toward replacing the elevators.

“The TIF district would take care of a lot of it,” Elliott said of the $1.5 million price tag.

TIF is a tool that allows governments to perform improvements to a property by accessing the money that will result from the property’s increase in value.

The plan calls for the ADC to lease the garage to Alecto for $1 per year. The initial term of the lease is 20 years, with two 10-year renewals available to Alecto after the 20-year period.

“Alecto will have the sole right to establish charges for hourly, daily, monthly and validated parking in the garage,” the agreement states, although it adds that the company should consult with the city about any “significant” increases in parking rates.

This measure is a resolution on the council agenda, meaning it would take effect immediately if council approves it Tuesday.

Also up for final vote Tuesday is an ordinance to alter the residency requirements for most city employees, as well as another ordinance establishing minimum height rules for any new building construction downtown.

The requirement would not be retroactive and would only apply to new buildings. The boundaries of the area in question are Interstate 70 in the north, the Ohio River to the west, Eoff Street in the east and Wheeling Creek to the south.

This ordinance does not address the current maximum height restrictions on downtown buildings. Right now, if developers wanted to build a new structure taller than 10 stories in the downtown area, they would need a variance from the Wheeling Board of Zoning Appeals. Councilwoman Wendy Scatterday said someone could also appeal to this board if they want to build a structure shorter than three stories.

Also, the ordinance to change residency requirements for city employees is up for final vote. Right now, anyone working for the city, regardless of his or her position, must live within the following boundaries: as far south as Moundsville, as far north as Wellsburg, as far east as the Pennsylvania state line, and as far west as the Ohio state line. The ordinance would replace this by establishing a 45-mile radius of the City-County Building. As long as someone lives within that radius, he or she could work in the city.

Vice Mayor Chad Thalman wants the change to go even further, as he plans to seek an amendment to allow those who are not police officers, firefighters or others who may need to respond to emergency situations to live “anywhere.”

However, Councilman Dave Palmer, a retired city firefighter, said he believes all city employees should face the same residency requirements, regardless of position.

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