The city of Wheeling's Building and Planning Department last week lifted orders related to the pest control issue posted in a notice to condemn the downtown high rise Windsor Manor. An aggressive pest management effort led to the city removing the notice late last week. (Photo by Eric Ayres)

WHEELING – The city of Wheeling’s condemnation notice against Windsor Manor has been lifted, as an aggressive pest control effort initiated by management has been deemed to be appropriate and compliant with orders issued.

Last month, a notice of the building being “condemned as dangerous and unsafe” was posted on the entrance doors of the residential high rise on Main Street in downtown Wheeling after complaints led to inspections that showed a serious infestation of cockroaches and bed bugs, city officials noted.

The Ohio County Health Department also inspected the facility the same week. Although the 109-unit riverfront apartment building at 1143 Main St. remained occupied over the past month, the city condemnation order set a deadline of Feb. 9 for the property owner to have an “extremely aggressive exterminating plan implemented by a professional exterminating company for any and all infestations.”

That aggressive pest management plan began late last month, and management at the 11-story senior and affordable housing complex has cooperated with city officials in resolving the issue.

“Management was very responsive and communicative with our building officials,” said Brenda J. Delbert, director of Building and Planning for the city of Wheeling. “We have reports from pest management. They did a heavy building treatment and are doing ongoing spot treatments for specific rooms.”

Delbert said the city inspected the property again after the pest management plan was launched, and significant improvements were observed, she indicated.

“The order was lifted Friday, Feb. 6,” Delbert noted. The paperwork relating to the city’s notice posted last month was subsequently removed from the main entranceway.

Windsor Manor is operated by Cleveland-based property management company J&S Management, which also operates several other housing complexes in the region. The company works directly with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), which provides project-based Section 8 contracts and local housing vouchers from local housing authorities to offer rental assistance to individuals and families residing in these complexes.