File Photo by Eric Ayres The city of Wheeling has received a half a million dollars through a Brownfields grant for asbestos abatement in the former Clay School building in East Wheeling. Additional funding has also been made available for planning purposes if the city choses to repurpose the structure as opposed to demolishing it.

WHEELING – Funding being made available for the former Clay School building in East Wheeling appears to be tipping the scale slightly in favor of renovation over demolition, city officials indicated last week.

A decision has not yet been made about the vacant building’s future, but federal funding has been offered not only for asbestos abatement in the hulking structure but also for planning if the city choses to renovate the former school and repurpose it.

“The city received word a couple of weeks ago, but it was made public (this week), that we had received a $500,000 Brownfield grant for environmental remediation at the Clay School,” Wheeling City Manager Robert Herron reported to members of city council last week. “The majority of that is for asbestos abatement. So whether the school is renovated, rehabilitated or demolished – that has not yet been determined, obviously — the asbestos needed to be abated out of the building.

“We’re very fortunate to receive $500,000, which is 100% of the estimated cost for abating asbestos out of the Clay School.”

The Clay School first opened more than 80 years ago and operated for decades as part of the public school system before closing its doors in the 1990s. There have been several attempts to bring a new life to the four-story, 30,000-square-foot building since then, but no ventures have ever brought a true redevelopment of the property.

In December of 2021, the city of Wheeling acquired the structure.

The city hired consultant Tipping Point to complete a study on scenarios for redeveloping the Clay School property. Late last year the city, Tipping Point, Wheeling Heritage, local community group Men of Change and other stakeholders held a community block party designed to gather people from the neighborhood and the city together to help provide input and to brainstorm ideas for the site’s future, an event that was well received.

The city applied for the Brownfield grant last year for remediation at the site, and recently were informed that its application was successful.

“In addition to that, the U.S. EPA was so impressed with that building and that project that they gave the city an additional $40,000 planning grant which looks at repurposing the building,” Herron said. “Now a lot of that work has already been done by Tipping Point, so Tipping Point and the city are going to submit that information to the EPA consultant, and they’re going to review it and then add to it so that there’s as much information as possible for a decision as to whether or not the building is renovated or demolished.

“Right now, the game plan is to look at renovations to the building and leave it there in a renovated state.”

On Friday, Herron said that Tipping Point is still working on cost estimates for the options that will be presented to council in the near future. He explained that under the U.S. EPA Land Revitalization Technical Assistance Grant, the federal agency hires a consultant to review land and building reuses.

“This is a $40,000 valued contract,” Herron said. “This work must be done by Sept. 1. We are ahead of the game on reuse and revitalization of this property, as we had Tipping Point already conduct much of the base work. This grant will enable us to fully develop a revitalization plan by building upon the planning work that has been done thus far.

“It’s exciting that we were able to receive this funding. It certainly will set the table for the building and give the city and the private sector a real fair opportunity to put together a project there if the building is to be renovated,” Herron added.