photo by: Shelley Hanson

The entrance to Wilson Lodge at Oglebay Park is shown on Monday. The Wheeling Park Commission is seeking bids for a project that calls for making some improvements to Wilson Lodge’s parking area and covered entrance at the building.

The Wheeling Park Commission aims to make some improvements to Wilson Lodge’s parking area and covered entrance at the building at Oglebay Park.

According to a legal ad, the project would encompass about 67,300 square feet of the existing driveway, parking and entrance at the lodge.

Funding for the project will be covered in part by a federal Economic Development Administration grant.

Bids for the project are being accepted until Sept. 26. A pre-bid meeting for potential contractors will be held Sept. 5 at the lodge.

“This project will be partially funded with Federal funds from the United States Department of Commerce, Economic Development Administration and therefore is subject to the Federal laws and regulations associated with that program,” according to the legal advertisement.

The Oglebay Foundation announced last spring that it planned to begin to make upgrades in some Wilson Lodge rooms starting in January 2024.

Back in May, Eriks Janelsins, CEO and president of the Oglebay Foundation, said the lodge’s entrance front entrance would be changed along with the approach to the lodge. He also noted the restaurants, Ihlenfeld Dining Room and Glassworks Grill, would be receiving a “complete facelift.”

A fundraising campaign for future improvements also was announced at that time, titled “Forever Yours: The Campaign For An Enduring Oglebay.”

The lodge has undergone a variety of renovations and additions over the years including revamps of its guest rooms. In 2006, a major addition occurred with the construction of the Lakeside Wing with 53 rooms. That project cost $15 million and included renovations of existing rooms as well, in addition to a new spa addition and six additional king-size bed rooms. The lodge now has 258 rooms.

In 2021, the lodge’s Glessner Auditorium received a renovation that included new carpeting, lighting, restoration of the hardwood floors, new stage curtains, new window curtains and more.