U.S. Rep. Riley Moore, R-West Virginia, right, stops in Wheeling Friday to ceremonially deliver a $2 million in federal appropriations to Wheeling’s Gateway Center project. The money specifically will be used to build a walkway connecting Gateway Center to the walking path along the Ohio River. Pictured from left are City Manager Robert Herron, Councilman Jerry Sklavounakis; and Moore. (Photo by Joselyn King)

WHEELING – Congress now has passed almost all of its appropriations bills, and this means $2 million allocated through federal community funding dollars is coming to Wheeling’s Gateway Center project.

U.S. Rep. Riley Moore, R-West Virginia, stopped in Wheeling Friday at the construction site for Gateway Center to drop off a symbolic check to Wheeling city officials.

The Gateway Center will serve as the home of the Wheeling Convention and Visitors Bureau. It is located at 949 Main St., the former site of the Wheeling Inn – which was demolished after the property was purchased by the city of Wheeling.

“This is really going to change the face of Wheeling,” Moore said of the project. “We’ve all driven across the (Suspension Bridge) a million times, but we will have folks coming in here to see this beautiful Gateway Center. It will really reclaim the greatness of the city of Wheeling.

“It’s an honor of my life to go to Washington and fight for this funding so we can bring it back home and complete projects like this.”

Moore is a member of the House Appropriations Committee. He reported that there are 12 appropriations bills that fund federal government, and just one of them – the one providing dollars to Homeland Security – has yet to be passed by Congress.

“We are actually back to what they call ‘regular order’ and doing our job,” he said. “We are passing a budget so we can advocate for our communities to bring funding back to places like Wheeling.”

The federal dollars are going to help the Gateway Center project “in a big way,” explained Frank O’Brien, executive director of the Wheeling Convention and Visitors Bureau.

“This money is earmarked for access to Heritage Port and Heritage Trail,” he continued. “There’s a 30 foot incline there (from Gateway Center to the trail), so there will be different walkways to get us to the trail, and a ramp that will lead to what looks like a coal shaft. It will actually house an elevator so that people with ADA issues can also get to the trail. We’re really excited that this is going to capstone this entire project.”

Construction of the Gateway Center project is expected to go out to bid next month. But both O’Brien and Eric Heinowitz, director of construction for project manager Tipping Point Development, were reluctant to say what they expect the final price tag might be for Gateway Center.

“We’ll know when we get the bids back,” Heinowitz said. “We have our estimates, but we keep it close to our chests until we know what the contractor market price will be.”

Moore, who lives in the Eastern Panhandle, noted he grew up coming to visit his grandparents in Marshall County. He and his family continue to come to Wheeling at least twice a year – once in summer, and again at holiday time to see Oglebay Park’s Festival of Lights.

“To help achieve this beautiful project we are going to have in Wheeling is the honor of my lifetime,” he said. “This is very personal to me, and it’s a wonderful achievement that they’ve been able to put together. It’s such such a beautiful project for the city of Wheeling. It’s really going to allow this city to shine like its people. Wheeling really does have the greatest people in the world.”

Across the street, protestor Johnny Haught stood with a bullhorn shouting that Moore really should host a town hall meeting in Wheeling to address the public’s concerns.

Moore said he had no plans to do so.

“I have meetings with people all the time,” he continued. “I won’t have a town hall because it will give people like that a platform. There would just be a lot of yelling, and it would not be productive.”