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WHEELING -- City leaders in Wheeling are getting plans set for construction of its long-awaited Streetscape project next spring, and legislation for a major redesign of a downtown intersection was introduced on Tuesday.
An ordinance was introduced during Tuesday's Wheeling City Council meeting authorizing City Manager Robert Herron to hire engineering firm Wallace Pancher for architectural services in designing a proposed extension to Nailers Way. Cost of the engineering services is $38,430.
This is an addendum proposal to the Wheeling Streetscape Project.
"Basically this proposed ordinance authorizes engineering to realign South Street, which is the street referred to as Nailers Way now, between WesBanco Arena and the Robert C. Byrd Intermodal Center," Herron said. "The proposal is to relocate part of that street that goes toward Main Street through the arena parking lot and align the street up with 16th Street and Main Street."
Herron indicated officials from the West Virginia Division of Highways are analyzing whether or not a traffic signal at the newly created intersection of South, 16th and Main streets would be warranted.
"This is something that has been talked about for a couple of years," Herron said. "A traffic engineering report is being conducted and should be finalized here shortly."
The Wheeling Streetscape Project is still on schedule for construction next spring, Herron said, noting that the Nailers Way redesign cleans up the "very awkward" 16th Street intersection with Main Street. "Hopefully, we'll have a traffic light at that intersection once the project is completed."
Mayor Glenn Elliott commended Councilwoman Wendy Scatterday for promoting the idea of having Nailers Way extended straight through the arena parking lot to form an intersection with 16th Street as part of the city's Streetscape project.
"It was at a meeting with West Virginia DOH a couple of years ago where she had the idea to fix that intersection there," Elliott said. "It is one of the most troubling intersections from a pedestrian perspective in our downtown footprint, because it creates a little bit of an uncertainty for pedestrians there. I think moving the street over and making that four-way intersection is a great idea."
Also as part of the Streetscape project, there is a sewer separation included in the project on Market Street from 16th Street to 10th Street, Herron said, noting that the sewer separation is being conducted by the WVDOH. A water line replacement project proposed in the same general area is being conducted by the city.
"That's replacing a water line on Main Street which is a 20-inch main that was constructed and installed in 1889," the city manager said, explaining that the water main from 9th Street to 16th Street will be replaced as part of the project.
An ordinance also was introduced Tuesday authorizing the city manager to enter into a $525,000 contract with CT Consultants for design engineering for this project.
"The goal there is to have the engineering done in the fall, have the project out to bid and under construction in December, which would put construction of the water line about three months ahead of the Streetscape project, so we can get out of the way of the Streetscape contractor, assuming the construction begins in the spring of 2021," Herron said.
In other action Tuesday, city council heard first readings on 11 new pieces of legislation, each for routine purchases of different chemicals for the city's water treatment plant. The total cost of the purchases was in the amount of nearly $569,000.
Also on Tuesday, a brief special meeting of the Finance Committee of city council took place before the regular meeting. Officials discussed various line items for expenses that were over or under the original budget. According to the totals, a net decrease in expenditures totaled $97,400. Officials have previously noted that the COVID-19 pandemic was expected to create a shortfall in revenues at the end of the fiscal year, but officials indicated that more than $2 million in the city's budget stabilization fund was expected to be available and could be utilized to make up any shortfall in revenues after adjustments were made to the budget.
A final, balanced budget for fiscal year 2019-20 is expected to be submitted to the state this month.
"This budget revision represents the final budget revision for the fiscal year," Herron said. "The final budget revision will be submitted to the state auditor's office by June 15. Reductions and increases that net out at zero."