photo by: Eric Ayres

Work is well underway on construction of a new lion habitat and Lion Villas nearby at Oglebay Park Resort’s Good Zoo.

WHEELING — The city of Wheeling is preparing to assist the Wheeling Park Commission in securing funds to help with the next phase of major improvements at Oglebay Park Resort.

The city is expected to issue $12 million in revenue bonds to help the Wheeling Park Commission move forward with several new improvement projects at Oglebay. An ordinance on the proposed bond issue was introduced during the last city council meeting in September, and a second reading is scheduled to take place during tonight’s city council meeting

“It will require three readings, and there will be a public hearing prior to city council consideration at a third and final reading,” Wheeling City Manager Robert Herron said.

“Representatives from the Wheeling Park Commission will be at that public hearing to talk a little bit more about what they’re proposing. If council approves this ordinance after three readings, this will be the third time city council has assisted the Wheeling Park Commission with various projects within the last 20 years.”

Bob Peckenpaugh, president and CEO of the Wheeling Park Commission, noted that the commission cannot take out loans in order to finance projects. They have to work with the city, county or other similar governmental entity that has the authority to issue revenue bonds in order to secure financing for capital improvements.

Major improvements are planned for Wilson Lodge and the Good Zoo at Oglebay, officials noted.

“This money is to help us cover the expenses of our renovations to the lakeside rooms, the main kitchen, the zoo entrance, gift shop and food and beverage areas, as well as new construction that we have going on now for the lion habitat and the Lion Villas that we’ll be putting up on that habitat,” Peckenpaugh said.

Through public grants and private philanthropy, the Wheeling Park Commission has funding to cover the debt on the bonds, but some of the funding is not set to come through in a timely enough manner for the work that is taking place. One of the projects, construction of the lion habitat, is well underway, as many visitors to Oglebayfest this past weekend may have observed.

“This is money that we need now and that will be repaid through those mechanisms,” Peckenpaugh said, noting that the Wheeling Park Commission is actually completing payments on the last revenue bond issued through the city for improvement projects at Oglebay. “Actually in December, we’re paying the last payment on the bond that was used to build the lakeside building, and that was 25 years or so ago. So timing wise, this just worked out perfectly for us.”

Oglebay and Wheeling Park have both had significant upgrades in recent years, and more recent projects have not taken place through the partnership with the city to issue revenue bonds. Just last year, a $12.5 million upgrade to Wilson Lodge was completed, bringing new restaurants and a new main entrance to the resort. Wheeling Park’s White Palace also underwent a major renovation in recent years, with around $3.2 million worth of investments in the park’s landmark facility.

American Rescue Plan Act funds provided a big portion of the money used for the Wheeling Park improvements, and the Wilson Lodge renovation was funded in part by an $8.2 million grant from the Economic Development Administration and was matched by community gifts.

More improvements are set for other areas of Wilson Lodge with funding from the proposed revenue bonds through the city. Major improvements to the Good Zoo are also on tap, from the highly anticipated new lion habitat as well as the first upgrade to the zoo’s main entrance area in decades.

“We’ll be renovating the entry to the zoo in January,” said Good Zoo Director Joe Greathouse. “Immediately after the Festival of Lights, we’ll renovate the whole entry space for the first time in probably 30 years – the outside, for the first time in 50 years.”

Herron noted that the city of Wheeling will simply be acting as “a conduit” for the revenue bonds to assist the Wheeling Park Commission with these projects.

“There is no obligation on behalf of the city,” Herron said. “We’re not responsible for repayment of these bonds. They will have no impact on the credit. It’s just a mechanism to provide this financing to a qualifying entity, which the Wheeling Park Commission is.”

The bond issue is slated for a second reading during tonight’s Wheeling City Council meeting, which is slated to begin at 5:30 p.m.