Photo by Eric Ayres Councilwoman Connie Cain and Wheeling City Manager Robert Herron attend a meeting of Wheeling City Council on Tuesday night.

WHEELING — The city of Wheeling is preparing to assume responsibility for maintaining the new planters and landscaped areas installed as part of the state’s $38 million Downtown Streetscape Project.

Members of Wheeling City Council received an update Tuesday night from City Manager Robert Herron on the status of the project, which is expected to wrap up within the next few weeks.

Paving work continued this week in the southeastern portion of downtown along sections of 16th, Chapline and Eoff streets near East Wheeling leading to U.S. 250 and W.Va. 2.

“There’s a lot of appreciation for the paving on Eoff and Chapline streets,” Councilwoman Connie Cain said. “It’s long overdue.”

Herron said crews are still completing sidewalk and curb work while also addressing final punch list items in previously completed sections of the project.

“The Streetscape project, as Mrs. Cain mentioned, is in the paving stages on this end of the project,” Herron said. “There is still some work being done on the sidewalks and curbs. But some of the work that you’re seeing — for example, there is some work that is being re-done on Main Street — those are issues where the contractor and the state are circling back and going through punch list items that may or may not have been done correctly or may have had a problem during construction.”

Under the project agreement, the state and its contractors are responsible for maintaining landscaping and vegetation for one year after sections are deemed substantially complete. That includes upkeep of the bioswales, which are landscaped drainage areas designed to manage stormwater runoff while also serving as decorative features.

Herron said the city already assumed maintenance responsibilities for the Main Street portion of the project last year.

“For the landscaping portion of the project, as everybody knows, the city assumed the Main Street portion of the project last May,” Herron said. “We will be walking the Market, 14th, 16th, 10th and 12th street portion of the project next week in preparation for that being turned over to the city.”

Herron said city officials will identify any remaining issues before formally taking over maintenance duties for those sections.

The portions of 16th, Chapline and Eoff streets now nearing completion will remain under state maintenance for at least another year.

The bioswales again became a topic of discussion after photos circulated online showing another vehicle that had driven into one of the landscaped areas. Cain asked whether the state planned to address the issue or add measures to prevent similar incidents.

Residents also have raised concerns about the depth of some bioswales along Market Street, citing possible tripping hazards near curbs, planters and sidewalk edges.

“I’ve mentioned this a number of times — the Streetscape project is as much a stormwater management project as it is anything,” Herron said. “The bioswales are there for a reason.”

Herron said the city’s separated storm sewer system was critical for downtown development projects, including construction of The Health Plan complex.

As part of the Streetscape Project, a new storm sewer system was constructed from the mouth of Wheeling Creek near the WesBanco Arena parking lot through portions of 16th and Market streets.

“You can’t construct a building and comply with storm sewer management guidelines — which are federal guidelines — if you don’t have stormwater management, or a place to discharge storm water,” Herron said. “Prior to the Streetscape project, the sewers in downtown Wheeling were combined (storm and sanitary sewers). Bioswales are there for a reason, and the depth of them is there for a reason. There were calculations done on the stormwater management for the depth of those. You can see them. You know they are there. The fact that somebody drove over the curb and into one of them is just unfortunate. Hopefully it doesn’t happen again, but I’m pretty sure it probably will.”

Officials noted vegetation in some of the newer bioswales has not yet fully matured compared to those installed earlier along Main Street.

Cain also thanked members of the Wheeling Area Chamber of Commerce Leadership Wheeling class for assisting with cleanup efforts in downtown bioswales last week.

“You did a wonderful job,” she said.

In other action Tuesday, council unanimously approved an ordinance authorizing $104,800 from the General Fund for Edgco to perform abatement and demolition work on several dilapidated properties. Officials said the city expects reimbursement through remaining funding from the state’s Dilapidated Properties Program grant.

Resident Kirby Pringle urged officials to prioritize preservation efforts for historic homes and buildings before demolition decisions are made. City officials responded that proposed demolitions involving contributing structures in historic districts must first receive approval from the Wheeling Historic Landmarks Commission.

Council also heard from representatives of the Friendlier City Project, who requested city support for LGBTQ+ Pride Month activities in June. Aiden Kosel, Ellery McGregor and Kellie White asked city leaders to allow a pride flag to be flown at Heritage Port during the upcoming Pride on the Plaza event scheduled for June 13.