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Construction to Start at The Highlands On Sports Complex, Menards in Spring

Photo by Joselyn King Ohio County Commission President Orphy Klempa reviews documents during Tuesday night’s commission meeting.

WHEELING — There could be much dust and activity at the far end of The Highlands this spring when two major projects are expected to begin construction.

Members of the Ohio County Development Authority learned Tuesday night the groundwork and utilities are nearly in place for a future Menards, a large home improvement business. County Administrator Greg Stewart said Menards should take possession of the property on Monday, with construction to start in the spring.

And members also approved a lease agreement between the authority and the Ohio County Commission for property behind the Marquee Cinemas, where a $30 million sports complex is to be constructed.

Stewart said the leasing deal was necessary so the county could take advantage of a series of tax exempt bank qualified deals available to the commission. The county is working on three separate bond deals, each for $9.5 million.

The Internal Revenue Service caps local governments at $10 million annually on these deals, and the first of the three will close Dec. 27, utilizing the 2017 cap, according to Stewart. The second will close sometime in late January or early February, providing the second $9.5 million. The first two installments will be enough to begin the project, he said.

Ohio County Commissioner Randy Wharton, also president of the development authority, said the design work for the complex was continuing and “a work in progress.”

“We’re trying to build as big as we can afford,” he said. “We now have the financing in place to make it happen, and we can continue to meet with consultants to develop the project.

“Construction should start in the spring.”

The sports complex will displace the Yensen Landscaping business, which had been operating out of a temporary location behind the Marquee Cinemas. Yensen announced this week it would be relocating to the former Nikki’s Garden Center location along Bethany Pike.

The development authority on Tuesday also approved the sale of a plot of land next to Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen to an unnamed national restaurant chain. The restaurant isn’t one currently found in the Ohio Valley, according to Wharton, but the policy of the authority is to allow companies locating to The Highlands to make their own announcements.

The authority also renewed the lease for the Books-A-Million store located in the Power Center area of The Highlands. The Cornerstone LLC investment advisory firm will locate to the Power Center near the Panera restaurant.

During a brief county commission meeting following the authority’s meeting, commissioners agreed to allocate hotel-motel tax dollars to the following groups: Oglebay Foundation, for the Access to Parks program, $10,000; Wheeling Park High School Wrestling Tournament, $6,000; and the YWCA Worthy Family Program, $2,000.

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