Photo by Eric Ayres Work on the new $9 million Wheeling Fire Department Headquarters near the intersection of 17th and Wood streets in East Wheeling is expected to wrap up around mid-April.

WHEELING — It’s out with the old and in with the new in East Wheeling as major city projects are set to take significant steps forward this spring.

Construction of the new $9 million Wheeling Fire Department Headquarters along 17th Street is expected to wrap up in the coming weeks after being delayed for many months in the wake of contract issues.

The original general contractor for the project — &build, a PCS Company — filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy halfway through the project early last year.

After many months of delays, a new general contractor — Great Lakes — was selected to oversee the completion of the project. Since then, work on the new 26,860-square-foot, state-of-the-art facility has been making great strides.

“The fire headquarters project is moving along very nicely,” Wheeling City Manager Robert Herron said. “The date of substantial completion is April 18.”

Herron noted that it will take time to relocate all of the personnel, equipment and furnishings to the new facility once it is completed, but officials are looking forward to finally settling into the new location.

“We do anticipate the fire department will be able to relocate into the new headquarters sometime in May or early June if all goes as planned between now and then,” Herron said.

“The progress there has been remarkable, and we’re very pleased with the work that’s being done, not only by the general contractor but also by the subs that were able to come back after the bankruptcy of the original general contractor.”

Just two blocks away, another project that is expected to change the landscape of East Wheeling is beginning to come closer to fruition.

The sprawling former Clay School building along 15th Street is expected to be demolished this year with the anticipation of a new indoor city recreation facility for that site, which is adjacent to the J.B. Chambers Memorial Recreation Park.

Even before city leaders decided to demolish the old Clay School, the city received a $500,000 Brownfield grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for asbestos removal in the facility.

“On the Clay School, the environmental remediation specifications have been completed,” Herron said. “The inspections have been done, and the asbestos has been identified. We anticipate putting the city’s standard bid language on to those specifications and have the remediation out to bid within the next two weeks.”

Some funding from the state DLAP program (West Virginia EPA Dilapidated Properties Program) has also been made available for the demolition work. However, the city is still expected to explore funding options for design and construction of a proposed East Wheeling Recreation Center.

“We are in the process of interviewing engineering firms for the demolition of the Clay School,” Herron said.

A recommendation on a demolition engineer is expected to be presented to Wheeling City Council for consideration either during next week’s city council meeting or during the first council meeting in April, according to the city manager.