Wheeling Breaks Ground On New Downtown Plaza

WHEELING -- A former alley that has become a pedestrian thoroughfare will see new life as a park that connects Main Street to the Market Street Plaza, city planners announced Tuesday.

Construction on the 11th Street Plaza will begin today, according to Mayor Glenn Elliott, and is expected to be completed sometime this fall.

"We're here in preparation to redo this pedestrian thoroughfare into something with much more potential, something much more attractive to downtown Wheeling. … These last couple years, it's been kind of an awkward in-between -- is it a road, or is it a sidewalk, for pedestrians and drivers alike?" Elliott said. "It's going to look wonderful, and be complemented next year by our streetscape project."

Elliott said the completed area would be attractive for locals and tourists alike for its historical roots.

"When the streetscape project is done, you'll be able to see the route Betty Zane took from Fort Henry over to the blockhouse," he said.

The plaza was made possible by a gift from the late James Hunkler, who bequeathed money to the Oglebay Foundation. Eriks Janelsins, president and CEO of the foundation, said Hunkler frequently enjoyed visiting the Friendly City, after growing up here and moving to Columbus later in life.

"He saw the changes happening here downtown, and was excited about some of the renovation made to the community," Janelsins said. "Unbeknownst to us, he made plans in his will … to create a downtown park close to the river, full of seasonally-appropriate plants and trees, that would really heighten the landscape, and create a downtown garden space that we don't have currently."

The donation amount was not disclosed, but Janelsins said the amount was matched by the city for the plaza construction itself, with more remaining to provide maintenance in years to come.

City Manager Robert Herron said making the plaza pedestrian-only will be a positive for downtown.

"We already had plans to continue the Market Street Plaza up through this area. … This has been kind of a dangerous area, because it has been open to traffic from time to time," Herron said. "It's a loading zone, sometimes it's hard to come out of these buildings, so it's a good opportunity to extend the Market Street Plaza, which has been a huge success."

Herron said that as the new plaza was already planned for the streetscape project, being able to complete it ahead of schedule -- partially funded through the donation -- will allow the city to save a significant amount of money.

"Because of the donation and the financing revenues the city has, we were able to do this project in advance of the streetscaping, and free up $325,000 that would have been invested, so that's an added plus," he said.