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WHEELING -- The public is invited to attend the annual State of the City address, which will be presented by Wheeling Mayor Glenn F. Elliott Jr. on July 26 at the Wheeling Island Hotel-Casino-Racetrack.
The event will begin at noon in the casino’s showroom. Doors open at 11 a.m. Everyone is welcome to attend, but reservations should be made in advance by calling 304-234-6401 or via email at mrejonis@wheelingwv.gov.
"It’s usually a great event," Elliott said. "I think the last few years, we’ve had several hundred people. I think 400 is probably the record we’ve gotten."
This year’s event will be Wheeling’s 13th annual State of the City, marking Elliott’s sixth time delivering the address. The State of the City was first started in Wheeling in 2010 by Elliott’s predecessor, former Mayor Andy McKenzie.
"Its basic premise has remained the same these past 12 years -- namely for the city to host an annual gathering in which the mayor can report on ongoing city projects and celebrate some of the people and organizations that make Wheeling the wonderful place that it is," Elliott said. "The only substantive change made during my time in office was the addition of the Gateway Award, which each year honors someone whose contributions in years past help move Wheeling forward."
With the big event just two weeks away, the mayor has begun writing this year’s speech, which not only focuses on the state of progress being made on many fronts in the city, but also sheds a spotlight on some of the movers and shakers that have helped propel Wheeling ahead to make the city a better place.
Traditionally, several community awards are presented to a number of local people during the State of the City luncheon. Elliott said he begins to compile the annual list of honorees by first reaching out to his fellow members of Wheeling City Council for recommendations.
"In addition to the Gateway Award, we also annually honor one individual with a Community Spirit Award and roughly five or six individuals or organizations for general recognition," Elliott said. "Though there are some people worthy of such recognition every year, we’ve tried not to repeat past honorees so as to shine the spotlight on new faces each and every year.
"Going forward, however, it is probably time to start recognizing prior honorees for their continued good deeds."
Elliott noted that the contributions of the honorees and the major projects that are taking shape in the city often provide the framework on which the State of the City addresses are crafted.
This year, the mayor will have plenty of fodder to pull from, as many projects that have been in the works for months or even years have moved from the planning phases and into construction phases.
Tens of millions of dollars worth of projects are currently on tap, including construction of the new Wheeling Police Headquarters - which is about to wrap up in the coming months, and the construction of the new Wheeling Fire Department Headquarters - which will soon be underway; the construction of the new Market Street Parking Garage and planned renovations to the Centre Wheeling Parking Garage; the upcoming Downtown Streetscape Project which the state of West Virginia has put out to bid; private investments such as the new construction of The Doris on Main apartments and the renovation that will create the Historic Wheeling-Pitt Lofts; major infrastructure upgrades throughout the city and community improvement projects being funded through American Rescue Plan Act allocations, just to name a few.
Wheeling’s first few State of the City events were held at the Capitol Theatre, but the annual event was relocated to the Wheeling Island Hotel-Casino-Racetrack ballroom in 2015 and have been held there ever since.
Originally, the events were held on the fourth Tuesday in February, but last year because of the pandemic, Elliott moved the State of the City to the fourth Tuesday in July.
"We have decided to keep it at that date, primarily because it ensures that the event itself cannot be used for political purposes in those years in which municipal elections are held in May," he said. "The effect of this change means that next year will be my final opportunity to host the State of the City. A new Mayor will be sworn in on July 1, 2024, and he or she will have the honors of hosting the State of the City that year."
Those wishing to attend can purchase lunch for $15, which can be paid via cash or check at the event. Attendees can also opt to be billed. However, lunch is optional.
"You do not need to buy lunch to attend the event," Elliott noted. "If you want to just watch the speech, you can do that for free.
"It’s a very nice event. I’ll do my best to get you out of there within an hour -- sometimes that’s hard to do. But it’s a great event just to get an idea of different things going on across the city."